Confusion
by Nightangel1282
Summary: Um...has Yugioh, Inuyasha, Yu Yu Hakusho,and Naruto... there's a summary inside... just please give it a chance, it DOES have a plot! Read and Review rating may go up in later chapters
1. Chapter 1

_This is a multi crossover between Yugioh, Inuyasha, Yu Yu Hakusho, and Naruto. It also has three girls from our boring old world in it. Basically, all the characters are pulled out of their own worlds by a freak storm and have to work together to figure out how to get back home! There is a reason behind it, and it's not just random stuff... trust me!! I have never written a story that doesn't have a plot! I might add some other random anime worlds into it... Fushigi Yuugi for instance, just later on. I'm just gonna skim over the storm part and get everyone straight to this mysterious world. _

_I do not own any of the anime's, just my characters, Chrissy, Kirsten, and Tearra._

OUR WORLD

Kirsten and Tearra each managed to get a week off of work and decided to come out for that week to visit with Chrissy. Since the weather is nice, they decide to camp out. But while they camped out, a freak storm brewed up out of nowhere. Suddenly the Earth started to shake beneath their feet, there was a bright flash of light and the three girls blacked out.

YUGIOH WORLD

Yugi Moto and his friends were in the King of Games bedroom trying to ride out a horrific thunderstorm that had suddenly decided to roll on through Domino City. Little did they know that a storm very much like it was also raging over Egypt and areas of the United States. The house rattled suddenly, and a bright flash of white light engulfed everything. The six teenagers inside the Kame Game Shop lost consciousness.

INUYASHA WORLD

Only a week after last facing Naraku in battle, a fierce storm filled the skies of the Feudal Era. Finding shelter from the wind and rain, Inuyasha and his friends were in an old shack in the middle of a forest when the earth shook violently beneath them. Before anyone had a chance to react to this, there was a bright blinding flash of light and all of them passed out.

YU YU HAKUSHO WORLD

Yusuke, Kurama, Hiei and Kuwabara were in Yusuke's mom's place enjoying a quiet meal while a violent thunderstorm raged on outside. The two demons thought they detected something strange about the storm, but before they could voice their concerns, there was an enormous shudder and a loud bang that shook the house to the very core of its foundations. Then a blinding flash of light filled the entire room and the four of them vanished from sight

NARUTO WORLD

In Konoha Village, Gaara was visiting with his new friends, taking a break from the Village of the Sand. They were all in Kakashi's home. He, Rock Lee, Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi were just sitting around and visiting, when the storm roared in out of nowhere, taking them all by surprise. The house rocked violently and as a bright flash of light exploded in their vision. Seconds later, the house stood empty.

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Chrissy blinked, trying to get the bright light out of her eyes. She rolled over and shielded her face, sitting up slowly. When her eyes adjusted to the light of the sun, she found that she was no longer in the field outside her home with her two friends. Instead, she was alone, apparently on the side of a mountain, surrounded by large rocks and trees.

Her heart started to hammer in her chest as she blinked a few times, trying to figure out where she was, how she had gotten there, and where her friends were.

She got to her feet, trying to stave off the panic that was building in the back of her mind.

"Kirsten?! Tearra? Hullo? You guys there?" She called out. She heard a faint echo of her own voice, but no reply to her call. She felt herself start to tremble slightly, but forced herself to remain calm.

Okay... she had no idea where she was, but she had a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach that that weird storm had had something to do with bringing her here.. If that was the case, it was possible that Kirsten and Tearra were here too. But maybe they'd been brought someplace else... another location. If that was the case, then Chrissy had to find them. And then, once she found them, the three of them could try to find out how to get home again. Shouldn't be too hard.

She hoped.

She looked around herself a few minutes, then sighed, choosing a direction and random and headed off into the trees.

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Kirsten found herself on the bank of a river in a lightly forested area, and almost panicked immediately. She slowly backed up, trying to figure out what was going on as she took in her surroundings and wondered where her friends were, when her hand came into contact with a piece of fabric. Heart hammering in her chest, she looked down to find a young man with black hair done up in a pony tail and a red and black headband. Just relieved at having someone with her, and not being in this weird place alone, she quickly shook him awake.

"Wake up, please..." she pleaded.

The boy slowly opened his eyes and she was almost startled at the emerald green coloring of the irises. He looked at her in surprise and confusion for a moment and then slowly sat up, his eyes going wide as he took in his surroundings. "What the hell? Where am I?" He looked at her. "And who are you?"

She fidgeted uneasily. "M... My name is Kirsten, and I don't know where we are either. My and my two friends were camping out in a field when a feak storm came in out of nowhere. All I know is I saw a bright flash of light and felt the Earth shake, and then I was waking up here."

The black haired boy blinked in surprise. "That's exactly what happened to me and my friends! We were all in Yugi's place when the storm hit. Are you from Tokyo?"

She blinked and then slowly shook her head. "No. I'm from Edmonton. It's a city in Canada."

The boy frowned. "That doesn't sound good. We better find out what's going on. And see if we can't find our friends. Come on." He got to his feet and held out a hand to pull her up. "We should see if we can find anyone and get some answers. Staying here's not going to help us."

She hesitated and then nodded. "Okay." She accepted his hand and let him help her up. "So... what's your name?"

He smiled at her. "I'm Duke Devlin, creator of the game Dungeons and Dice," he said proudly.

Kristi blinked slowly. "Never heard of it..."

The boy moaned. "Aw, man... That sucks. And here I was hoping you'd be a fan..." He sighed. "Oh well. Let's just get going."

Nodding, the two of them headed off.

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Tearra, for her part, was in a cavernous region, waking up beside a boy with black hair and a strange looking headband on his forehead.

When she had been woken up by the boy, she almost panicked like Kirsten had, but then soon calmed down once it became clear he didn't intend to hurt her. He asked her if she knew where they were, and told her his name was Sasuke.

"I am an Elite Chunin Ninja from Konoha Village," he explained.

She blinked slowly. "Konoha... Village? I've never heard of it before. Definitely nowhere near Edmonton."

He frowned. "Ed...mon...ton? I've never heard of it. Is it a village of Ninja?"

She sweatdropped and shook her head. "No. It's a city in Alberta."

He blinked. "Alberta?"

She felt a sinking sensation in her gut, hoping this guy was just seriously geographically challenged. "Yeah... Alberta. It's a province in Canada. You know... the third largest country in the world?"

Sasuke looked at her for a long moment, his expression now dead serious. "Then it would seem that the two of us come from different worlds. Because I have never heard of any places by those names before."

Tearra felt a chill race down her spine. "That... doesn't sound very good to me..."

He nodded and seemed to think a moment. He seemed to come to a decision and then climbed to his feet. "Let's go."

She blinked. "Go where?"

"To find out what's going on. We should try to locate our friends and see if we can't find any natives to answer our questions as to where we are and how we got here. Since we don't know where we are, and what kind of creatures or hooligans might be in the vicinity, we should stay together."

Tearra felt a small measure of relief, knowing that she at least wouldn't be alone in this weird place. But she just hoped her friends were doing all right themselves. Kirsten wasn't one who did well under pressure and this situation would royally freak her out if she was alone. And Chrissy... well, she just didn't tend to think before she acted.

---------------------------------------------------

Tea woke up in a wide open expanse, Yugi lying at her side. And then, on the other side of him, was a small boy with orange hair and... She blinked. Was that a tail?

Shoving that thought from her mind for now, she quickly shook her friend awake. "Yugi! Please wake up! Are you okay?!"

Yugi slowly opened his eyes and looked around himself in total shock. "What the? Where are we? Where are the others?"

She shook her head. "I have no idea. But check him out," she said, pointing to the little boy with the tail and strange clothes.

Yugi blinke slowly. "Is that a tail? And what's with those strange clothes?"

Tea shrugged. "I don't know. He looks harmless, though. Should we wake him up?"

He nodded, the Pharaoh taking over, just in case. He knelt by the boy and shook his gently. "Hey... you okay?"

The tiny boy opened his eyes slowly and then they went wide, seeing Yugi and Tea... not to mention his surroundings. He let out a cry and was on his feet in an instant. "Where am I? Kagome?! Inuyasha?!" he called out. Then he looked up at the two of them again, taking on a slightly defensive position that was more adorable than threatening. "Who are you? Where are we?"

The Pharaoh smiled at him gently. "It's all right, little one. We won't harm you. You may call me Yami, and my companion is Tea. We are not sure ourselves where we are or how we got here. We were hoping you could answer those questions yourself."

Tea poked at his fluffy tail. "What's with this tail?"

He blinked and looked up at her. "I'm a kitsune. My name is Shippo."

She blinked. "Kitsune? As in a fox demon?" Then she blushed. "Kawaii..."

Shippo sat down once more, crossing his arms. "And don't ask me where we are. I have no idea either. Me and my friends were taking shelter in an old shack, when some really weird storm hit the region. The entire sky went black in an instant. Then the earth started to shake, and there were all these weird flashes of light. Then I just found myself being woken up by you guys."

Yugi took that time to take on a physical form of his own (AN: I know he can't in the series, but he can in my story, okay?) "That's exactly what happened to us! We were all in my home when the storm came up from out of nowhere!!"

The little fox demon cried out in alarm and jumped away, taking up a defensive position again. "What the hell? How did you do that? Where did you come from? You don't smell like a demon to me...?"

Tea rubbed the back of her head. "That's going to take a little while to explain. And I think we should exchange information as we go... because we should try to find out what's going on and see if we can't find any of our friends."

Shippo hesitated and then nodded, coming forward. "I guess... I really wanna find Kagome and Inuyasha... I sure hope they're okay..."

The Pharaoh smiled at him gently. "Then we will go. Come."

The boy blinked. "Hold up a sec! Let's see something!" He leaped onto Tea's shoulder and sniffed the air. Then he smiled broadly and pointed. "I smell humans over that way! It's a long way off, but it's the only human scents I can find that aren't coming from you guys!"

Yugi smiled. "You're gonna be useful to have around, Shippo. Now, let's get going."

The Pharaoh merged with Yugi once more and they started off.

(Kay, I'll make this short... Joey wakes up alone, Tristan wakes up with Rock Lee, Kaiba and Mokuba are together (on the same mountain as Chrissy), Bakrua wakes up with rin, and Marik, Ishizu and Odion wake up together.)

(Yusuke wakes up with Sango and Kaylalla, Hiei is on his own, Kurama finds himself with Sakura, Kwuabara is with Botan, Koenma is alone... the others in Yu Yu Hakusho are unknown and won't be seen till later on anyway.)

Inuyasha is alone, (but not far from Chrissy), Kagome wakes up with Kakashi, Miroku is alone, Kikyo finds herself with Gaara, Sesshomaru and Jagen are together, Koga is with Hintata, and Naruto is alone.)

_Okay, I'll leave the first chapter off here, then! R&R, everyone!! Thanks!!!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Okay, here's chapter two... and I don't own nothing except for Chrissy, Kirsten, and Tearra._

_All the anime characters belong to their own creators._

Chrissy wandered through the forested mountainside, trying to find any sign of someone. She had been walking for nearly an hour and seen no sign of anyone.

She sighed and leaned against a tree for a moment, trying to think of what else she could possibly do, but there weren't many options. She couldn't just stay here and hope someone came walking on by. She had to keep looking.

She suddenly stopped in her tracks, not sure what it was that had made her stop. She just felt something was WRONG all of a sudden. Then she realized what it was.

All the birds and animals in the undergrowth had suddenly gone quiet. There wasn't a single sound anywhere. Even the wind in the trees seemed to have stopped.

She froze, realizing this, and knowing from her years of experience on a farm, that when animals went silent all of a sudden, it usually meant danger of some sort. But what kind of danger?

Her answer came when the bushes off to her left exploded outward and an enormous creature that looked like a cross between a six armed man and a centipede charged out toward her.

Chrissy fell back in alarm, the creature missing her by scant inches. This thing was HUGE, and she quickly rolled away, scrambling back to her feet, her mind going numb in terror.

"FLESH!!! I SMELL THE FLESH OF A FEMALE VIRGIN!!!" it roared, making another swipe at her.

This time Chrissy was running like mad through the forest, the branches slapping her face and arms as she heard the creature breaking through them all as if they weren't even there, right on her tail.

Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!!!! she thought over and over in her head. Her feet were moving as though they had a mind of their own, but she knew it was only adrenaline and she couldn't keep this up for long. Tears of terror formed in the corners of her eyes, realizing that if this thing caught her, it was most definitely going to eat her.

"OH, GOD!!!! HELP ME!!! SOMEBODY, PLEASE HELP ME!!!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, never slowing.

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"OH GOD!! HELP ME!!!! SOMEBODY, PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!"

Mokuba and Kaiba turned as one, hearing the cries of terror, which was quickly followed by the sound of crashing and falling trees.

They took several quick steps back as the hill they were facing exploded outward and they heard a cry of alarm, a young woman with mid length brown hair flailing wildly before she landed on the ground, quickly going in to a roll, and stopping on her hands and knees, not far from where Kaiba and his little brother stood watching in shock.

When she caught sight of them, she got to her feet quickly and grabbed the youngest boy by the hand. "RUN!! IT'S RIGHT BEHIND ME!!!"

Kaiba blinked. "What's right behind...?"

The Centipede Man appeared again, making a b-line right for the young woman. "LET ME TASTE YOUR TENDER FLESH, YOUNG MORTAL!!!!" it screamed.

Chrissy cried out in terror, quickly releasing the young boy's hand and shoved him toward the older boy as she leaped the other way.

"RUN!!" she screamed at the two of them, tearing off once more.

This time Mokuba and his older brother didn't need to be told twice. They were right on her heels, Kaiba keeping his brother's hand in a death grip.

"YOU CANNOT ESCAPE ME MORTAL!! I WILL SOON FEAST UPON YOUR TASTY FLESH!!!!"

She looked at her two new companions. "Listen!! This thing is after me!! Just get away from me!! If you can't save me, then save yourselves!!!!"

Mokuba looked up at her, his eyes almost blank with his terror. "But... where can we GO?! We don't even know where we are or how we got here!!"

"That makes three of us! I have no idea where we are either, but just go ANYWHERE! Get away from me or it might go after you once it..."

She was cut off when the ground behind them exploded once more and the three of them went flying. Kaiba quickly shifted himself in midair to cushion his brother's fall, but Chrissy landed by a large tree, and gave a small cry of pain and held her side. Before anyone could move, the Centipede's body scooped up the woman and had her pinned to the tree.

She cried out. "IT'S CRUSHING ME!!!"

Mokuba was quickly on his feet. "Seto!! We have to help her!! That thing is going to EAT her!!!!"

Kaiba growled as the creature advanced on the woman who was obviously in pain. He didn't know who she was, but she was the only person they had come across since they had been somehow whisked out of his mansion. "Yeah, but what can we do? There's no way the two of us can hope to fight that thing! And she was right... when it's finished eating HER it's going to come after US!!"

Chrissy felt a few of her ribs crack and she screamed in pain. "STOP IT!! SOMEONE HELP ME!!!!"

Mokuba's eyes filled with tears. "WE HAVE TO TRY!!!" He started picking up rocks and throwing it at the monster. "LEAVE HER ALONE!!! SOMEONE HELP US!! SAVE HER!!!"

The monster didn't even seem to notice the stones the boy was throwing at him. He was focused on the young human woman he had pinned and ready to devour. "I SHALL NOW FEAST!!!!"

It's teeth grew enormous, fangs protruding from the corners of its mouth.

Chrissy let out an ear piercing scream, her eyes going enormous as the monster lunged forward, preparing to devour her from the head down.

"IRON REAVER SOUL STEALER!!!!!" A voice cried out, and in that instant, half of the centipede's body was detatched from the rest of it, and a boy with long silver hair and wearing an old style kimono leaped through, landing on the ground before Kaiba and Mokuba.

He cast a quick glance back at them as the Centipede stopped in his attack on the young woman and turned to him. "You two stay back! I'll take care of this freak and save the girl!" he said, not noticing the shocked looks on their faces. The boy's eyes were golden and slitted, and he had what looked like dog ears on the top of his head, and he had claws replacing his toes and fingernails.

"YOU!!!! YOU ARE THE HALF DEMON INUYASHA!!!" The centipede cried out in fury.

He pulled a sword out of his sheath, and the two humans stared in alarm as it transformed immediately, taking on the form of a fang. "And you are out of your league, Centipede Demon!! Looks like I wasn't the only one brought into this weird world, but it figures that your like would go looking for a snack first thing!"

It's eyes widened. "THE TETSUAIGA!!!!!"

He held it forth, a wicked smirk on his face. "That's right... the very sword forged by my own father's fang! And now I'm going to use it to destroy you!!" He made a long sweep with the sword. "WIND SCAR!!!!!"

An enormous sweeping arch of energy slammed into the demon centipede and it cried out as it was disintigrated.

Mokuba blinked. "Wow.. talk about overkill..." Then his eyes widened, looking past the half demon and he saw the young woman lying at the base of the tree. "MISS!!" He charged forward, Kaiba on his heels.

The woman coughed a few times, holding her side in pain. She took in a few lungfulls of air, then opened her eyes a little blearily. "What... just happened? Who... killed that thing?"

Mokuba smiled in relief. "He did! He just came out of nowhere and BAM!! It was a gonner!" he said, indicating the white haired boy with the dog ears who was coming their way now, placing the sword back in its sheath.

He knelt down with the boys. "How're you doing? Are you okay?"

She nodded. "I think so... just a few... broken ribs, maybe..." Then she blinked, sitting up as she looked at him. Her hands came up and she rubbed his ears. "Um... are these real?"

Mokuba grinned broadly. "Me next! Me next!!"

The boy moaned. "Why is it that every time I come across humans, they either run away screaming or want to touch my ears?" he muttered.

She pulled her hands away and blinked. "They... ARE real..." She blushed immediately. "Kawaii... how CUTE!! You have Doggy ears!!!"

He sighed. "Aw, man... It figures..." Then he got to his feet. "Look... do any of you know where the hell I am?"

Kaiba shook his head. "No. My brother and I were sitting in our home when some strange storm came out of nowhere and we woke up not far from here."

The woman blinked. "Hey... that's the same thing that happened to me! Was there earth shaking and weird flashes of light?"

Mokuba nodded. "Yeah! There were loud bangs too! I just blacked out and woke up next to Seto!!"

The white haired boy frowned. "That's what happened to me and my friends, too... What the hell's going on?"

The girl got to her feet with a wince and a small grunt of pain. "I don't know... but I have to find my friends. I got lucky with that centipede thing, but if Kirsten or Tearra come across something like it, they might not have someone in hearing range who can save them." She took in a sharp breath and held her side.

Kaiba frowned. "I think you should rest a bit. That thing hurt you pretty bad and walking might just make it worse."

Inuyasha crouched before her. "Hop on my back. I'll carry you. I wanna get a move on. Besides, that centipede's remains might attract some unwanted attention, and I really don't feel like slaying any more demons unless I have to."

She blinked. "You mean... you'll travel with us?"

He snorted. "Well, I sure as hell ain't leaving you guys alone. There's worse things out there than Centipede Demons, I can tell you that right now. You guys wouldn't last a day out there on your own."

The youngest of them sighed in relief. "Thank Kami... I was worried we were going to have to keep going alone..." Then he gave the half demon and the girl a wide smile. "I'm Mokuba, and this is my big brother, Seto."

The CEO snorted. "Just call me Kaiba."

The girl gave the three of them a small smile. "I'm Chrissy."

The half demon smirked. "I'm called Inuyasha. Now come on. I have a feeling we've got a long way to go."

Kaiba sighed, helping the young woman onto the half demon's back. "I have a feeling you're right."

---------------------------------------------------

Kirsten managed a small smile, taking in her surroundings. The landscape was definitely beautiful. Everything looked so peaceful, and she couldn't figure out why she got a sudden cold chill. She shrugged it off as being a result of her unusual circumstances. "Well, at least this place looks nice... and it the air smells so fresh!"

Duke nodded, a small smile on his own face. "Yeah... I guess it's not so bad here... but I'd sure be liking it a whole lot more if I knew my friends were safe."

Kirsten's smile vanished, thinking of Chrissy and Tearra. "Yeah... I know what you mean..." she said quietly.

He saw the sad expression on her face and paled. He immediately put a big smile on. "Hey, I'm sure your friends are just fine. I mean, you woke up with me, so it's pretty likely that they weren't alone either!"

Kirsten managed another small smile and looked at Duke. "Thank you. You're probably right and I'm just worrying about nothing. I mean... this place seems so nice, and I haven't seen anything that looks dangerous..."

She was cut off when the bushes to their left suddenly rustled. Duke immediately pulled the girl behind him. "Careful! This place may SEEM nice, but there could still be predators here.!"

Gulping, Kirsten nodded, making sure Duke was between her and the bushes.

Then, the bushes were sliced by an enormous axe, Duke grabbing the girl and throwing themselves out of the range of whatever was weilding the massive weapon. The axe was about twice Duke's size, and he had a distinct feeling that he was not looking forward to seeing its owner.

Kirsten screamed a half second later when they saw a large bipedal wild boar step out of the woods, wearing some strange kind of armor.

"FRESH MEAT!!!!" it roared, launching itself at them.

Duke grabbed Kirsten's hand and started racing through the lightly forested area as quickly as his feet would carry him. Thankfully, her long legs made it easy for her to keep up to his pace.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING? DID IT JUST SAY IT WANTS TO EAT US?!" Kirsten cried out in terror, risking a quick glance over her shoulder. The monster was right on their heels.

"I HAVE NO IDEA, BUT I SURE AS HELL AM NOT STOPPING TO ASK IT QUESTIONS!!!!"

They didn't get far before the blade of the axe struck the ground right behind them, sending up an explosion of dirt and grass. Trees fell on either side of them as the two of them went flying through the air, landing in a heap on the ground. Then the two of them looked up in time to see the boar-like monster closing the space between them, bringing the axe up for the finishing blow.

Kirsten let out a scream and clung to Duke, the Game Creator gripping her back, his own eyes going wide, unable to take his eyes off the beast as Kirsten burried her face in his chest.

Then, to his shock and relief, an arrow surrounded by a purple aura sliced through the beast, incinerating it immediately.

Duke blinked in surprise, not sure if he'd seen what he thought he just did, and Kirsten looked up hesitantly, her heart hammering in her chest like mad. "What... just happened?"

He shook his head. "I... have no idea."

"Are you two all right?" asked a gentle feminine voice from off to the side. Turning as one, they saw a beautiful woman with long black hair, wearing an old fashioned kimono that Duke recognized as once having been traditional among Japanese Priestesses. At her side was a young man around his age with red hair and the darkest circles around his eyes that he had ever seen. On his back was an enormous container.

Duke gave an immense sigh of relief as the two newcomers approached, the woman placing a bow back onto her back, alongside a quiver of arrows. "We're fine, thanks to you. Thanks for the save. I thought the two of us were gonners."

The woman smiled gently at the two of them, as she crouched at their sides. "Are you injured?"

Duke blinked. "I feel okay... How about you, Kirsten?"

The blonde girl nodded. "I'm fine... I'll be having nightmares for weeks, but I'm fine," she said, still trembling slightly as he helped her to her feet.

The woman smiled at them both. "I am the Priestess Kikyo, and my travel companion is Gaara. This may sound like an odd question, but we are rather lost and are wondering where we are. You see, the two of us are from different lands, but we were seperated from our friends when some strange storm entered our homelands and seemed to whisk us away..."

Kirsten and Duke exchanged alarmed expressions. "THAT'S JUST WHAT HAPPENED TO US!!!" they exclaimed as one.

Kirsten gulped. "Duke and I are from different worlds, too! He was in his friends house in the middle of a storm, and I was out camping with my two friends when the storms came! There was weird shaking and flashes of light, and then we were both here!"

Gaara and Kikyo exchanged looks. "That means that more than just our two worlds are involved in this," the boy said, his face set in a deep frown.

Kikyo's expression was much the same. "It would seem so. There must be some great power at work here to have done something on such a grand scale. We must get to the bottom of it and quickly." She turned to the blonde girl and the black haired boy. "Will you journey with us? It would be safer for you and we may also find it easier to find the information we seek."

Kirsten nodded immediately. "I'm definitely all for it! After the way you took care of that... that... whatever the hell it was, having you guys for company is definitely welcome in my books!"

Duke nodded. "You took the words right out of my mouth! Let's go for it! Besides, we might come across some of our friends, too!"

Kikyo nodded, a smile on her face. "Then let us go. I have a feeling we will have many roads to walk before our answers are presented to us... and that there are many dangers ahead as well.

_Woo hooo!!! Chapter Two is up!! What'd you think? R&R everyone!!!_


	3. Chapter 3

_Okay, here's chapter three, and yes, this is going to be an insanely long story!!_

_I don't own anything but Chrissy, Kirsten, and Tearra!! Please Read and Review!!!!_

Ryu held the young child, Rin, close as the group of thieves surrounded them. The young girl, whom he had woken up beside upon entering this strange world, and therefore had become his responsibility, was currently clinging to him, her eyes wide in fear. The Spirit of the Millennium Ring was about to take control to battle these pests for himself, but stopped when a voice stepped in.

"Do you have to sink so low as to gang up on a single boy and a young child? How cowardly of you." Turning, they saw a young man in a blue outfit, with black hair and a strange headband step out from amongst the trees, a young woman with red hair staying a little further back from him. "Why not try your luck on me instead, you hooligans?"

Ryu's eyes went wide. Was this guy nuts? Theer were over twenty thieves here! There was no way he could defeat them alone!!

The men all seemed to agree with Ryu's thoughts as they started laughing. "Yeah, right! Just stay out of this, boy! We'll get to you when we finish stripping these two of their valuables! And we shall steal your woman as well!!"

The boy's face was the air of calm, his eyes hard as stone. "I think not. I'm not just your average boy, as you losers are about to find out." He placed a hand in front of his face. "ART OF THE SHADOW DOPPELGANGER!!" he cried, making several quick motions with his hands. There was a puff of smoke and, to the astonishment of all, the one boy was quickly joined by over a dozen more, all of them looking exactly alike.

They charged forward as one, and then all split up, taking everyone by surprise yet again, as they proceeded to pummel the thieves with the greatest of ease. Once he was finished, there was another puff of smoke and he stood alone once more. He looked at the wide eyed Ryu and Rin. "Are you all right?"

The white haired boy nodded. "Yes... thank you very much for your help."

He shrugged. "No problem. My name is Sasuke and my companion is Tearra. Do you know where we are and how we got here? We're rather lost."

Rin looked at him. "Are you two from another world too? Did you come here because of a scary storm filled with weird light and earth shaking?"

The two of them exchanged a stunned look. "Yes! That is exactly it! Do you mean to say that the same thing has happened to the two of you as well?" he asked.

Ryu nodded. "Yes. I am Ryu Bakura, and this is Rin. The two of us are from different worlds, but we each experienced the same strange storm. We woke side by side here only a few hours ago."

Tearra shook her head. "What the hell's going on? And how many worlds are involved? I mean, so far with us, that'd be four worlds!"

Sasuke frowned. "I don't know, but we must find the cause of all this and figure out a way to return to our own worlds."

"Couldn't have said it better myself... but where the hell do we start?"

He looked at her. "Our best course of action would be to see if we can't find other people. The more people we have, the safer we are. We pool our information and formulate a plan of action then. I know it's not much, but there's not much else we can do at this point."

In that instant, Tearra felt a cold chill race through her and she let out a shudder.

Sasuke blinked. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah... I just got this weird chill all of a sudden. Maybe I'm more stressed than I thought..." She shrugged it off and the matter was dropped.

Rin held her stomach. "I don't suppose any of you have something to eat, do you? Lord Sesshomaru and Master Jagen are usually the ones to feed me, but... since they're not here..."

Sasuke nodded. "I can catch food for all of us. I think we could all use a break. Let's just get away from these guys before they attract predators. I don't like killing unless I absolutely have to."

Nodding, the four of them headed back into the forest.

------------------------------------------------------------

After walking for several hours, Yugi, Tea and Shippo finally reached some trees that were by a large flowing river. Deciding to take a break from walking, they all settled down for a rest.

Tea sighed, soaking her feet in the river. "My shoes were so NOT made for long distance walking..." she moaned.

Yugi settled down next to her, his expression concerned. "Are you okay?"

She sighed. "I should be fine. I just need to soak my feet for a few minutes..." Then she blinked, cocking her head to the side a little. "Hey... you hear that?"

He blinked and listened with her. "It sounds like... a flute... or maybe a piccolo?"

Tea got to her feet and took a few steps to her right, parting the vines made by the trees aside and looked out over the river. She let out a cry of alarm and jumped behind Yugi. "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING?!"

Looking with her, Yugi's eyes widened themselves as he saw a large creature, yellow in color with eyes that were just barely open, playing a small whistle like instrument, while a group of young children laughing in delight seemed to float along side him.

Shippo jumped onto his shoulder. Then he smiled. "Wow... it's not very often you see one of THOSE!"

The Pharaoh took on a physical form and looked at him. "What is it? I have seen nothing like it before..."

He smiled. "It's a Soul Piper. When children die, the Soul Piper will play with the kids until they are ready to move on to the afterlife. As long as its eyes are closed like that one, there's nothing to be afraid of, but if they open, there's trouble!!"

Tea blinked. "Why? What happens if its eyes open?"

Shippo looked at her. "Well, you know about poltergeists, right? Those are child spirits that are held back with anger or hatred when they die. When the Soul Piper senses the bad emotions coming from the child, its eyes will slowly open. When they open wide, the child becomes an evil spirit and the Soul Piper will cast its soul into hell. But don't worry. This one's followers look like they're all having a great time. Just enjoy the sight of it and the sound of its music. You don't see these every day!"

"My, is that a Soul Piper? It's been ages since I've seen one of those..." said a voice from behind them.

Turning, the four quickly found themselves looking at two new arrivals... a very handsom young man with long red hair and gentle green eyes, and a young woman with pink hair and a strange headband going across her forehead.

"Greetings. Don't be alarmed," he said, holding his hands up to assure them that he meant no harm.

Shippo blinked, jumping off of Yugi's shoulder. He sniffed the two of them, and then his eyes went enormous, and a smile spread across his face. "You have a kitsune inside you! I can smell him! In fact, it almost seems as if it's completely mingled with the scent of a human!"

He nodded. "Yes. I am a Kitsune in human form. And you are a fox as well, I see. My name is Kurama, and my travel companion here is Sakura. Would any of you happen to know where we are? I apologize, but I detected your scent and we came to find you..."

The Pharaoh blinked. "You don't know where you are either?"

The woman with pink hair shook her head. "We have no idea. Both of us are from different worlds, and we were both brought here by some strange storm."

Tea and Yugi exchanged stunned looks. "You mean there are MORE?" asked the former.

The latter gulped. "I don't like the sounds of this..."

Kurama was frowning now himself. "Some great power must be responsible for this... but why? Why would someoen bring us to this place?"

The Pharaoh frowned deeply. "I don't know... but we must get to the bottom of it. We must find a way to return to our own worlds... and we must locate our friends before they are injured."

Sakura nodded. "Or worse. But where do we begin?"

Tea sighed. "I guess all we can do is keep going. Is there a place where we can cross this river?"

Kurama smiled. "Sakura and I could both jump across, carrying one of you. She's a ninja... as powerful as she is pretty."

She blushed madly hearing this. "Um... thanks..."

Kurama seeemed to be amused by her shyness. "It will take two trips from one of us, at least. The baby fox can ride on one of you as we bring you across."

The baby fox demon blinked. "Sorry... introductions. I'm Shippo. This is Tea, Yugi, and Yami... he was a king of a land known as Egypt many years ago. He's actually a spirit that's connected to that thing around Yugi's neck. If he merges with Yugi again, it would only take one trip."

The Pharaoh nodded. "Then I shall do so." The items around both of their necks flared and the Pharaoh vanished in a flash of light. The light merged with the Millennium Puzzle, and innocent Yugi stood there alone once more.

Sakura smiled. "That's gotta be useful..." Then she crouched down and indicated for one of them to hop on her back. Tea came forward immediately, while Yugi went to Kurama, Shippo jumping on the King of Game's back and hanging onto the collar of his uniform.

Kurama smiled. "Let the journey begin."

-----------------------------------------------

Tristan sighed, holding his stomach. "I wish there was something to eat around here... I'm going nuts."

His companion, a boy with bushy brows wearing a skin tight green outfit, nodded. "I'm getting a little hungry myself. I could always catch some food for us. It shouldn't be too hard..."

He smiled. "That'd be great! You're a life saver, Lee! In more ways than one!"

Lee smiled right back. "No problem. We've gotta stick together, after all." He looked forward. "I think there's a fork in the trail up ahead. Which way do you think we should go? Use your instincts."

Tristan sighed. Instincts were NOT his strong point. Joey was the one who seemed to have all the luck in that area. He was just normal Tristan Taylor, cheering on his friends from the sidelines. "Um... I say we go..."

"Where the hell is that cat of yours leading us anyway?" came a voice from ahead on the trail.

"I don't know. She must smell something otherwise she wouldn't be going this way..."

Rock motioned Tristan to get behind him and took up a fighting stance, prepared to fight if the need should arise.

Then a giant cat came around the bend, two humans riding atop it... a beautiful woman with long black hair done up in a pony tail and wearing an enormous boomerang on her back, and a boy in a green school uniform with black hair slicked back. They stopped the second they saw the two boys ahead on the trail.

The boy with black hair sight in relief. "Thank God! I thought we'd never come across a friendly face!" He jumped off the cat and put on a wide grin, giving the two of them a wave. "Hi! I'm Yusuke Urameshi, Spirit Detective! This is Sango and her Demon Fire Cat, Kaylalla. DO either of you know where we are?"

Tristan balked. "YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW EITHER?!" He moaned and hung his head. "Are we gonna come across anyone who knows what the hell's going on? I wanna find my friends and get out of this weird world!"

The woman sighed and climbed off her moutn. "Looks like a dead end, Yusuke."

The boy got a defeated look on his face, and then sighed. "Aw, well. Maybe the next person we come across will know something."

The chunin ninja smiled at them, relaxing his defensive stance. "Hi. I'm Rock Lee, from Konoha village, and this is Tristan. So, you must be from different worlds as well, then? Your clothes certainly don't match in any way, at least..."

Sango nodded. "That's right. We are from different worlds... and now we're trying to figure out how we got here and how to get back. Since we're in the same situation, would you two like to tag along with us?"

Tristan sighed in relief. "I'm in. How about you, Lee?"

The ninja shrugged. "Why not? With that cat of yours, we'll have more luck coming across people. Maybe she can lead us to some of our friends."

Yusuke grinned. "That's what I'm hoping. Come on."

_Okay, there's chapter three!! Read and Review, there's lots more to come!!!!_


	4. Chapter 4

_Okay, Chappie Four is up!! I own nothing except for my own characters!!_

Marik, Ishizu and Odion wandered through the forested path, trying to find anyone or anything that could help them. They had been doing so for several hours now, and had come across nothing.

"I sure hope we're not the only ones here," Marik muttered. "But we haven't seen a sign of civilization since we arrived."

Odion nodded, then looked at Ishizu. "Have you used the Millennium Necklace to see what our future holds, Ishizu?"

She nodded. "There are other people here. But unfortunately, I am unable to determine both their intentions or when we will come across them. The future is rather clouded at this point."

"Well, at least we know that means we're not alone here," Marik said, with a sigh. "But I wish we'd come across something soon. This is getting rather frustrating..."

"Are you sure you smell something?" came a soft feminine voice from off to their left.

A rough voice soon followed it. "I'm positive! We're really close. They're human, like you, and..." The bushes suddenly parted and two people stepped through. They stopped in their tracks immediately upon seeing the three Egyptians standing on the path, as the three looked at their unexpected guests.

One was a young woman with pale skin dressed in dark clothes and with, they were shocked to see, white eyes. She wore a headband with a strange spiraling symbol upon it across her forehead. Her companion had dark brown hair, pointed ears, slitted eyes, claws, and a tail. He was dressed in some kind of armor and wore his hair in a pony tail high on his head.

The man with a tail smirked. "See, I told you." He raised a hand in greeting. "Hi. I'm Koga of the Wolf Tribe, and this is Hinata. Do any of you three know where we are or how we got here?"

The three of them blinked in surprise and slowly shook their heads as one. "No. It seems we are in the same situation, for we are trying to find out where we are as well. Were you brought here by some strange storm?" asked Ishizu.

Hinata nodded. "Yes, that's right. It came from nowhere and was filled with strange lights that flashed and the earth trembling beneath us. Then Koga and I awoke side by side. We are from different worlds, and are trying to piece together was is going on. You are the first friendly people we have come across since our arrival a few hours ago."

The white haired Egyptian smiled. "Well, you're the first people we've come across at all. I'm Marik. This is my sister Ishizu, and my brother Odion. We are from a land known as Egypt."

The two of them blinked and exchanged looks. "Never heard of it," they said as one.

Ishizu cleared her throat a little and stepped forward. "Perhaps we should travel together. The journey would be safer, and if you are able to pick up scents, then we may be able to find more people."

Koga shrugged. "Fine by me. Let's go before we lose the light. The sun will be going down in an hour or so and we don't have much time."

Odion nodded. "I think we'll let you lead the way."

Koga smirked. "Fine by me." He tested the air for a few minutes and then pointed to the east. "That way. There's the faint smell of smoke. It's a far way off, but it's there. No way we'll come across whoever made it tonight, but we can hope to come across them tomorrow or the day after."

Nodding, the five of them set off.

-----------------------------------

Botan moaned. "Sandals were not made for long distance walking..."

Kuwabara sighed. "We'll just go on for a little while longer. We've gotta come across something other than demons or monsters in this place..."

The Spirit Detective had been more than a little surprised to wake up next to Botan upon entering this world, knowing that she was somewhere in Otherworld escorting spirits there for Koenma. Upon entering this world, she had been horrified to discover that her link with her boss had been severed, and her only protection was Kuwabara himself.

Since realizing this, and after first being attacked by a low level demon, she ahd been sticking to him like a leech, her eyes darting left and right, jumping at shadows, terrified that they would be attacked again, and fearing that the next ones to attack them would be more powerful than her temporary bodyguard.

As they continued on through the dense forest, Botan jumped, hearing a noise off to their right. "Something's coming!" she whispered, jumping to place Kuwabara between her and whatever it was that had made the rustling noise in the forest.

The man sighed and held up his hand, prepared to activate his reiki sword should the arrivals turn out to be a threat.

He was both surprised and relieved, however, when a young woman wearing a green and white school uniform came out of the bushes, a bow and quiver of arrows on her back. She smiled immediately, and a man with a mask covering most of his face, except for his left eye, with a shock of white hair sticking straight up, followed her out of the forest.

"Kakashi! We found someone!" she said, a large smile on her face. She lifted a hand in greeting. "Hi! I'm Kagome Higarashi. This is Kakashi. Do you know where we are?"

Kuwabara blinked and slowly shook his head. "I'm afraid not. We were actually about to ask you the same thing. I'm Kuwabara and this is Botan. The both of us were brought here by some strange storm, and..."

Kakashi's eye went wide. "You too?" He looked at the woman he was traveling with. "It seems that we were not alone in our experience, Kagome."

She nodded, a frown on her face. "Yeah, but why is this happening? Who's behind it? And how many people are involved? I have a feeling there's more than we know..."

Botan sighed in relief. "I'm just happy to come across a friendly face! I was afraid you might be another monster."

Kagome sighed. "Yeah, this world seems to have its fair share of them. We killed a few already ourselves."

"We should travel together," Kakashi said. "It would be safer for everyone concerned. And I have a feeling Botan there would feel far more secure if she had three to protect her instead of just one."

Kuwabara shrugged. "Sounds fine to me."

The jonin ninja nodded, and then looked at the sky. "We should find a secure place to rest for the night. And I think it would be best if we set up a watch so we're not caught by surprise."

Kagome nodded. "Good idea." She smiled at her two companions. "Well, let's get going. We can tell our stories on the way."

Nodding, Kuwabara and Botan both followed their unexpected companions.

-----------------------------------------------

Joey raced through the forest, desperately trying to lose his pursuers. He'd smelled something cooking over a fire and, since he hadn't had a bite to eat yet since coming to this world, he'd followed his nose without a second thought. Until he saw that it was a group of hooligan thieves that were feasting on a wild boar. They immediately demanded he hand over his valuables, and upon finding out he didn't have any, decided to just do away with the blonde haired duelist.

Joey moaned, his legs starting to ache. "JUST MY LUCK!! THE FIRST PEOPLE I COME ACROSS IN THIS FREAKY WORLD HAVE TA BE A GROUP OF ASSHOLE THIEVES!!!! SOMEONE HELP ME, WOULD YA?!"

He heard the group of men laughing behind him, and he narrowly missed getting impaled by a spear one of them had thrown. There were about twenty of these guys, and Joey was quickly losing hope of living through this.

He moaned. Where was a Millennium Item when you needed one? he wondered, and hoped fervently that his best buddy Yugi was safer than he was right now.

Turning a corner, the duelist skidded to a stop , his eyes going enormous when he saw a wall of rock ahead of him. It was a sheer cliff, and unless he had wings and could fly to the top, he was trapped.

He whirled, taking up a fighting stance, ready to fight to the death. He was determined to take at least a fwe of these guys down with him.

But then, to the shock of all, an enormous cloud of smoke erupted between Joey and the thieves, and as it cleared, they saw a boy with hair more yellow than his own in an orange jumpsuit and a strange headband over his forehead. His hands were held before his face, before a wicked grin.

"I think you guys need to learn a thing or two about manners!" he said. "Who do you think you are, ganging up on someone like that! It's time for me to teach you guys a lesson!!"

One of the men laughed and threw a hatchet that immediately embedded itself in Joey's would be savior. The boy winced visibly and felt the last of his hope die. Well, so much for him being my hero, he thought grimly.

But then, to the growing shock of all who watched, the lifeless body vanished in a puff of smoke, and a log took its place.

"HAHAHAHAHA!!!!! MISSED ME!!!!!" came a voice from above. Looking, they saw the boy landing between them once more. "Now, for my next trick..." He made a series of hand gestures. "ART OF THE SHADOW DOPPELGANGER!!!!" There was an enormous cloud of smoke and instantly there were several dozen copies of the boy standing there! "LET'S KICK THEIR BUTTS!!!!!!" they declared in one loud voice, launching forward.

Joey could only stare slack jawed as the many forms proceeded to pummel the group of thieves before his very eyes. They moved in a blur and delivered punches and kicks before their opponents even knew what had hit them. In moments, the copies vanished in several puffs of smoke and the boy stood alone once more.

"That wasn't so hard... they were just a bunch of wusses." Then he turned and looked at Joey. "Hey, you okay? They didn't hurt you or nothin', did they?"

Joey blinked and shook his head, his stunned expression forming a smile instead. "Wow!! You kick ass, buddy! That was totally awesome!!! How did you DO that?!"

The boy grinned broadly and put his hands behind his head. "Aw, that wasn't nothin' much. I'm an elite Chunin Ninja from Konoha Village! My name is Naruto Uzamaki!!"

Joey grinned broadly and extended his hand. "The name's Joey Wheeler, Duelist extrordanaire! Nice ta meet ya!!"

Naruto accepted his hand with a smile on his face. "Likewise! Um... I got a weird question for you, but... where am I?"

Joey sighed. "Aw, man... That sucks. I'm lost too. It was the weirdest thing... Me and my friends were all at my buddy Yugi's place when this real weird storm came from nowhere! There was weird flashes of light, and then the whole house felt like it was shaking and then I just blacked out and woke up here!"

Naruto's eyes went wide. "What? Really?" He blinked. "Hm... the same thing happened to ME! I was in Kakashi Sensei's place, enjoying my dinner when it just rolled in. It was just as you said... with flashes of light and earth shaking, and then I woke up here in this weird world. I've been trying to find my friends ever since."

Joey blinked. "Wait a sec... you said you're a ninja, right? From some place called Konoha? Is that in Japan?"

Naruto blinked slowly. "Um... what's a Japan?"

Joey's eyes widened and then he frowned. "Um... okay... if ya don't know about Japan, then there's no way in hell you're from where I'm from. I guess this means that the two of us are from different worlds."

Naruto sighed and sat back. "I guess so... I wonder if there are others like us? I hope my friends are okay..."

Joey grinned. "If they're anything like you, I'm sure they're just fine. But I only have two friends that have special powers... Yugi and Bakura. The other three are like me... average joe's. I'm worried about THEM..."

The ninja grinned at him broadly. "So we'll just pair up and work together! I'll stick with you and keep you safe from monsters and assholes like those guys."

Joey grinned back. "Really? Ya mean it?"

He nodded. "Sure! I'm a ninja and it's my duty to do what I can to help!" He turned then and his eyes opened wide. "I SMELL FOOD!!!!!!"

Joey nodded. "Yeah, that's what lead me to those jerks ya KO'd. They were cookin' a wild boar, I think..."

Naruto gave him a toothy grin and chuckled. "Well, we can't let all their efforts go to waste, now can we? Let's chow down!!"

Joey grinned right back. "Naruto... I think we're gonna get along just great!" The two of them started back toward the now abandoned camp.

_Okay, there's chapter four for ya!! R&R please!!!_


	5. Chapter 5

_Kay, here's chapter five!! I own nothing but my own characters!!_

Chrissy was still on Inuyasha's back, Kaiba and Mokuba walking on either side of the demon. Mokuba looked at the girl who seemed to be fighting to keep her eyes open.

"Man... you look tired, Chrissy-san..."

She nodded and unsuccessfully stiffled a yawn. "I am... it was two in the morning when that storm reared its ugly head, and me and my friends were just getting ready to go to bed. the only sleep I had was when I was knocked out by it, and then waking up here. I've been going on adrenaline alone all day."

Inuyasha looked at the sky. "Well, the sun's going down. We could just stop here for the night. I think we should have a look at those ribs of yours to make sure they're not to bad. Kagome always told me that broken ribs could be dangerous. We should probably wrap them or something."

Chrissy blinked and then turned bright red. "Um... you realize that would mean... looking under my shirt, right?"

The half demon blinked. "It's no big deal. I mean, you've seen one set, you've seen 'em all, right? I've seen Kagome's a dozen times... accidently, mind you, but I have..."

She growled. "If you weren't carrying me, I'd slam you in the top of your head!! Kagome's your girlfriend, so it's different with you seeing her!!!"

Mokuba blinked. "Even I knew that..."

Kaiba snorted. "I'll do it. No offense, but I don't have much interest in women. I'm too busy to have that kind of a relationship, so you don't need to worry about me touching you more than absolutely necessary to bandage you up."

Mokuba looked up at the two older men. "Does anyone have any bandages to bind her ribs with?"

The two of them stopped at that and exchanged a look. "Come to think of it, no." Inuyasha said. "Kagome had all her medical supplies from her era in her bag, and I have no idea where it is now."

The CEO shrugged. "So I'll just take a look to see how badly she's injured. If she needs bandaging, we'll think of something. I could even tear my jacket if it comes to it."

Inuyasha came to a stop a few minutes later and they settled down, the half demon setting his cargo down against a large tree. Kaiba came forward kneeling before her, and instructing Inuyasha and Mokuba to look the other way. Chrissy removed her shirt, blushing madly as Kaiba examined her ribs.

"You lucked out, I'd say. I only found one broken rib. The others are just cracked and bruised. You should be fine."

Then Inuyasha was looking over the CEO's shoulder, blinking as he looked at her chest himself. "So, she doesn't need any bandaging then?"

An instant later, a resounding slap was heard in the small clearing and Inuyasha held his red cheek, a handprint shaped bruise forming on it. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!"

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "You know nothing about women, do you?"

Chrissy was covering her chest as she reached for her shirt to put it on again. "YOU WERE TOLD TO LOOK THE OTHER WAY UNTIL SOMEONE TOLD YOU IT WAS OKAY TO LOOK!! THE ONLY REASON KAIBA SAW MY CHEST WAS BECAUSE THERE ARE NO OTHER GIRLS HERE AND SOMEONE HAD TO CHECK TO MAKE SURE MY RIBS WERE OKAY!!!! JEEZ!!!!"

Inuyasha frowned, still rubbing the sore spot. "Man, you're just like Kagome.. you freak over nothing..."

"IT'S NOT NOTHING!!!!!" she roared, turning crimson.

Kaiba smirked. "Let's drop it for now. We should get something to eat and then go to sleep." He looked at Inuyasha. "Any chance that you could catch us some food? I can make the fire."

The half demon nodded. "Sure thing. If anything attacks, just scream and I'll be here in an instant. I won't be far." Then he leaped off into the trees without another word.

Kaiba instructed Mokuba to help him find some firewood.

Chrissy blinked and started to get up. "I should help since I'm not as badly hurt as we thought..."

Kaiba looked straight at her and shook his head. "You're still in pain, so just stay there. Moving around might make your injuries worse."

She hesitated and then nodded with a sigh. "Okay, if you're sure."

Mokuba gave her a sweet smile. "You just worry about getting better. After all, you were almost killed today. I think that warrants a day of being waited on a little."

Moments later, he and his brother had a nice campfire going, and Inuyasha returned, holding a wild boar over his shoulder.

"This should be enough for us all... I'll prepare it or roasting over the fire. You guys get a rotissere set up."

Mokuba grinned, grabbing sticks off the ground and cleaning them off. "You got it!"

A couple hours later, the four of them were munching away. Chrissy had never had wild boar before and wasn't too surprised to find it tasted exactly like pork... except just a little tougher, probably because of the way it was cooked over a campfire. By the time they were finished, it was well into the night, and the chill was settling in. Chrissy didn't have a jacket of any sort... just a sleeveless shirt and shorts, and she started to shiver a little, despite the fire.

Inuyasha noticed this and removed his red kimono top. "Here, use this. We don't need you getting sick on top of everything else. You guys can all sleep easy. With my sense of hearign and smell, I'll be able to detect anything dangerous before it reaches the campsite."

Everyone nodded and settled down, Mokuba curling up next to his brother, who shared his jacket with him, and Chrissy curling up in Inuyasha's Robe of the Fire Rat at the base of the large tree.

-------------------------------

Kirsten, Duke, Kikyo and Gaara stopped for the night at the side of a river, the Priestess going off into the forest to locate some food as Gaara and the others set about making a fire. She returned not long after, dragging a deer behind her. "This should be enough for the three of you. I don't need to eat, and I can merely package the rest of the meat for another time if there are leftovers."

Kirsten sighed happily. "Deer meat... it's been a while..."

Kikyo and Gaara worked on skinning and preparing the deer for cooking. In a few hours they were chowing down, the sun down now.

Gaara looked at them. "You three get some sleep. I don't sleep so I can keep watch."

Duke blinked. "You... don't sleep?"

He shook his head. "I have a destructive and bloodthirsty Tenuki inside me. If I sleep, it will take control and destroy everyone and anything it comes across."

Kirsten paled and moved a little closer to Duke. Here they were, who knew where, and their only protection was an undead Priestess and a man who had a psychotic demon living inside him. "I'm... going to sleep now..."

Duke nodded, a little pale himself. "Yeah... I'll sleep close so you don't get cold. That okay with you?"

She nodded. "Yeah, sure."

They leaned up against the trunk of a large tree and went to sleep.

-------------------------------------

Sasuke, Tearra, Bakura and Rin were finishing of the fish that the ninja had caught for them, sighing in relief at finally having full stomachs. It was dark now, the sun having disappeared over the horizen an hour before.

The child, Rin, let out a yawn and rubbed her eyes sleepily. "I'm real tired now..."

Ryu smiled at her gently. "I think we all are. I could use a good nigth of sleep myself." He settled down, leaning against a log with a sigh, and to his surprise, Rin immediately came up to him, and curled up against him. She was asleep in seconds, her head leaning against his chest.

Sasuke smirked. "I think she's taken with you there, Ryu." He looked at Tearra. "You should get some sleep too. I can sense people approaching long before they get clsoe enough to harm us."

Nodding, Tearra simply went to sleep by the coals of the burning fire.

-------------------------------

Yugi, Tea, Shippo, Kurama and Sakura finally stopped for the night. Tea was holding Shippo in her arms, and the tiny demon was rubbing his eyes sleepily.

Kurama brought them to a stop in a clearing surrounded by a rocking outcropping. "This should provide shelter for the night." He turned to Yugi. "How about we set up a watch... between you, me, and Sakura? Three hours each."

He grinned. "No need for that. Pharaoh doesn't need to sleep. He can just keep watch for us."

Sakura grinned. "Well, that saves us some trouble, then... But I think we should get something to eat before we get to sleep. I never ate all day."

Tea smiled. "That sounds great. I'm starving and hate to sleep on an empty stomach."

She nodded. "Alright, I'll be back in a little bit with something." She disappeared into the forest in a flash.

Shippo yawned. "I'm just gonna sleep until the food's ready..."

Tea blushed a little as he nuzzled in closer to her and closed his eyes. "Kawaii..."

Kurama gave the sleeping fox demon child a small smile and then turned to his human companions. "We should get a fire started. Yugi, would you like to help me gather fire wood?"

The Pharaoh emerged from the puzzle and took on his physical form. "I will help you. Yugi should stay here with Tea and Shippo."

He nodded and the two of them set out to find the firewood. They returned moments later, each holding a bundle of wood in their arms and they worked to get a fire started. Sakura showed up a half hour after they had the fire going strong, carrying two birds over her shoulder. "These should be enough for all of us..."

The food was soon prepared and eaten, and they set about getting ready for sleep. Tea already had Shippo sleeping in her arms again, and Yugi settled down next to her, leaning against a large rock. Kurama extinguished the fire with some dirt and settled down next to them, Sakura joining them soon after. They were all asleep in moments.

--------------------

Tristan, Rock Lee, Yusuke, Kaylalla and Sango stopped at the shore of a lake. The ywere all still full from when Lee had caught them several fish an hour before. Upon reaching the shore of the lake, they didn't even bother with a fire. But Kaylalla laid down and looked at the four humans expectedly, offering her own body heat to keep them warm for the night. And they knew they could sleep soundly with her sensitive hearing and acute sense of smell to warn them of impending danger.

-------------------------------

Marik, Ishizu, Odion, Koga and Hinata were treated to an enormous Wild Boar, curteosy of the Wolf Demon who caught, prepared and cooked it for them. They stopped for the night in a cave, away from the elements and out of sight of possible predators. The three Egyptians immediately curled up next to each other after eating and went to sleep. Hinata and Koga followed suit.

---------------------------

Kuwabara and Botan were treated to a filling meal of fish, curteosy of Kakashi and Kagome as they were settling down in a small clearing in the dense forest. It was dark now, the ninja shocking them all by creating a fire by using some sort of technique he simply called Fire Jitsu.

The two men decided to set up a watch between the two of them, insisting that the girls in their group get as much sleep as they could. Shrugging, Botan and Kagome settled down, the dark haired girl making sure her bow and arrows were close at hand.

------------------------------------

Joey and Naruto both leaned back, smiling happily in the thieves former campsite. They both patted their now full bellies.

"They may've been jerks, but man, could they cook!" Joey said, a wide grin on his face.

Naruto noddd in agreement. "Believe it! That was some good eating... not as good as ramen, but still pretty good..."

Joey let out a huge yawn. "I could use some sleep... I'm beat."

Naruto nodded, letting out a small yawn of his own. "I know what you mean. Let's turn in. With my hearing no one'll sneak up on us without my knowing it!"

The boy shrugged. "Good enough for me."

Snagging blankets that had been left behind by the hooligans, they both curled up and went to sleep.

_Yup... this chapter was pretty much everyone settling down after their first day in the world... things are gonna start getting exciting in the next chapter, so tune in! Read and review!!_


	6. Chapter 6

_Okay, here's chapter six!! please, please, please, read and review!_

_I own nothing except for Chrissy, Kirsten, and Tearra!!_

_--------------------------------------_

Inuyasha woke with a start and immediately had his sword unsheathed, looking around himself apprehensively. His three human companions immediately woke with his sudden movement and looked up at him.

Chrissy blinked sleepily. "What's up?"

Inuyasha growled low in his throat. "I know that smell..." He looked at Chrissy. "Hurry! Give me my robe back and get behind me! I can smell one of Naraku's incarnations and it's coming right for us!!"

She wasn't sure what he meant by 'Naraku's incarnations', but she wasn't about to ask. If Inuyasha was concerned about them, she was VERY concerned about them. She was on her feet in an instant and quickly handed him the robe and rushed to where Mokuba and Kaiba were scrambling to their feet.

Inuyasha quickly got into his robe once more and stood at the ready... but not even he was prepared for what happened next.

The entire left side of the clearing exploded outward and many glowing blades swept toward the half demon. Inuyasha quickly leaped high into the air and took up a position facing the as of yet unknown intruder, holding his sword at the ready.

"Your reflexes are as sharp as ever, I see, Inuyasha..." said a feminine voice.

Inuyasha gritted his teeth. "Terrific... KAGURA!! SHOW YOURSELF!! I KNOW IT'S YOU!!!!"

Seconds later, an incredibly beautiful woman with red slitted eyes and holding a fan stepped out of the forest, a calm smile on her face. "It's been a while. And I see you keep new company on this night."

Inuyasha cast a half glance back at the three humans. "Kaiba!! Get yourself, Chrissy and Mokuba away from here! Kagura is VERY powerful! Even I'll have problems against her!!"

Kaiba nodded immediately. "Right!"

Her eyes narrowed as she brought the fan back. "I don't think so. HYA!!!" She brought the fan down in a sweeping arch and the wind blades headed straight for the three humans.

"NO!!!!" Inuyasha leaped between the demon and the humans once more, facing his back toward Kagura and used his robe of the fire rat to take the blows himself. He cried out in pain, his eyes going wide as they bombarded him. When the barrage stopped, he fell to his knees, breathing heavily and bleeding from a dozen injuries.

Mokuba and Chrissy were horrified. "INUYASHA!!!!"

He grunted in pain and looked up at them. "Go... hurry!!!"

Kaiba nodded, grabbing hold of his brother's hand. "COME ON!!!!"

Mokuba's eyes were wide with terror. "But what about...?"

"THERE'S NOTHING WE CAN DO!! NOW LET'S GO!!!!!"

Kaiba shot off, Chrissy close on his and Mokuba's heels.

Kagura frowned. "Perhaps you didn't hear me... I said you're NOT GOING ANYWHERE!!!!" she cried out, attacking with the wind blades again.

Inuyasha tried, but was too weak from the previous attack to get there in time to protect them. Kaiba was barely able to grab his brother and leap to safety as the blades struck the ground where he'd just been standing.

Chrissy was only able to scream and shielf her head as the blades came straight for her, knowing she could never move fast enough to get out of their path.

Mokuba, Kaiba and Inuyasha looked on in horror as an enormous explosion erupted where the girl had been standing.

Mokuba cried out in horror. "CHRISSY!!!! NO!!!!!!!"

"Um... I'm... okay..." said a meek voice from above them.

Looking up in total and utter shock, half demon, full demon and two humans stared as they saw Chrissy being held in the arms of a man wearing all black with gravity defying hair that was pure black except for a starburst of white in the front. He held her bridal style and had a deep frown on his face as he looked at Kagura.

"I think I've seen more than enough," he said darkly, his crimson eyes glinting murderously. He leaped down from the tree and set the girl down. Chrissy didn't even bat an eye. She was beside Kaiba and Mokuba in an instant.

"Are you all right?" Kaiba asked.

She nodded a little numbly. "Yeah... I can't believe I almost died twice in one day..."

The little demon started to speak once more. "If there's one thing I can't stand, it's scum like you that try to kill those who cannot even defend themselves. Now normally I don't fight women..." He let a sinister smile come to his face. "But in your case, I think I'll make an exception." He removed a headband from his head, revealing a third eye in the middle of his forehead. His expression turned more bloodthirsty and his smile grew. "Hn. So that fan is what allows you to control the wind, is it?" He held a hand out to his side and a black fire-like aura erupted around it. "I'll have to rectify that."

Before the astonished eyes of the three humans and Inuyasha, the small demon seemed to vanish and reappear before the wind sorceress, much to her own shock. Before she could so much as blink, he had a hold of her fan and crushed it in his fist, as his other hand slammed into her gut sending her flying through the trees.

Kagura slowly got to her feet, the little demon now looking at her with a cool expression from where she had been standing seconds before. She scowled darkly and pulled a feather off the top of her head. "I will be back, Inuyasha!! And the next time we meet, will be the LAST!!!!" The feather grew to enormous proportions and she leaped upon it, sailing away into the sky.

Inuyasha was on his feet now, holding one of his shoulders in pain. "Who the hell are you?" he asked their new guest.

The little demon looked at him. "My name is Hiei... I'm a fire demon. I've been trailing you since late yesterday afternoon. I'm in the same situation you four are. I figured you could use a hand with the wind demon."

Chrissy gave him a grateful look. "Thank you, Hiei."

Inuyasha, however, growled low in his throat. "I didn't need any help! I was in total control of the situation!!"

Kaiba snorted. "Is that why you weren't able to move in time to save Chrissy yourself? Or why you're holding your arm like that and are bleeding in a dozen different places?"

Inuyasha's eye twitched. "Listen, you..."

Chrissy rolled her eyes and came forward. "Oh, grow up, Inuyasha! My niece is more mature and she's six!! Just suck in your gut and admit that Hiei saved our asses from Little Miss Psycho Bitch, okay?" She stopped in front of him, her hands on her hips. Inuyasha's expression was turning more horrified by the second. "Now get undressed and let me take a look at your injuries!"

He growled. "I DON'T NEED MEDICAL ATTENTION!!!!"

"YES YOU DO!!! YOU WERE SLICED BY THOSE WIND BLADES!! Now take off your robe and let me take a look!!"

Hiei smirked. "Hn. You better let her look at you, hanryu, or she'll never leave you be."

Inuyasha growled again and removed his robe of the fire rat. "FINE!!! MAN, YOU ARE JUST LIKE KAGOME!!!"

She smiled at him sweetly. "Then she must be a wonderful girl," she said, as she started to examine and clean his wounds.

Inuyasha just muttered darkly under his breath, as Hiei and Kaiba smirked and Mokuba struggled to hold in his laughter.

When she was finished, she nodded. "All right, that should do for now."

Inuyasha frowned, replacing his robe. "That's all you're gonna do... because these wounds will be completely healed by morning."

Hiei looked at them. "Get back to sleep. I'll keep watch. I don't need sleep so it's no problem."

Chrissy let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks again." Then she let out a yawn. "I'm back to sleep. G'night." She leaned against the cliff face and nodded off instantly.

Kaiba came forward, settling down on one side of her, and Mokuba taking a seat on the other side of his brother. Kaiba removed his jacket, draping it over the three of them and he went to sleep, holding his brother close.

Inuyasha watched as Hiei leaped up into a tree and settled down on a large branch silently. Letting out a sigh, the half demon settled down at the base of the tree and did the same.

--------------------------------------

Kirsten, Duke, Kikyo and Gaara were on their way early the next morning, after having a breakfast of leftover deer meat.

Duke smiled at Kirsten. "So, how was your sleep?"

She yawned and rubbed an eye. "Not good. I was actually too nervous. Everytime there was a noise in the forest I was awake."

He smiled a little sheepily. "I know what you mean... It's kinda nerve wracking being here."

He was cut off when they heard a horrified cry coming from off to their left. Gaara and Kikyo were following the sounds of the cries, Kirsten and Duke right on their heels, not wanting to be left alone for any length of time.

Then they saw a man wearing a long red-brown robe struggling against several vines of a tree... the tree which had a large mouth open, ready to pull him in.

Kikyo's eyes set. "Gaara!!"

He nodded and set a hand before his face. Instantly, as Kirsten and Duke watched in shock, sand came from the gourd on his back and rushed forward, slamming straight into the mouth of the tree demon. Then Gaara made a quick motion with his hands and it exploded outward, the tree being reduced to little more than small chunks of wood and slivers.

The man fell to his knees, gasping for breath. Kirsten ran to his side and saw a handsom man with short hair parted down the middle, with the most intense blue eyes she had ever seen before in her life. (AN: Koenma is NOT going to have that stupid pacifier unless he's in his infant form!!!)

"Are you okay?" she asked in alarm. "You're not injured, are you?"

He blinked, seeing her, and then shook his head. "No, I'm fine. I give my thanks to whoever it was that defeated the tree demon."

Gaara finished calling his sand back to the container. "No problem. I'm Gaara. This is Kikyo, Duke, and the woman in front of you is Kirsten. Are you in the same situation we are, or are you actually NATIVE to this world?"

The man blinked. "I am Koenma, the second in command to Otherworld. And no, this is most definitely NOT my world. I was working at my desk when a strange storm erupted throughout the Otherworld. I lost consciousness and woke up in this strange realm yesterday. You are the first people I've met."

Duke grinned. "Well, you lucked out. You wanna come with us? We're trying to locate our friends and find out what's going on."

Koenma shrugged. "Sounds much better than wandering around on my own."

Kikyo smiled gently. "Then we should continue on our way. Let's go."

Nodding, he got to his feet with Kirsten's help, straightened out his robes, and they kept going.

--------------------------------

Tearra took in a deep breath and sighed happily. "Whatever else you might say about this world, you've gotta admit, it's got nice fresh air..."

Ryu smiled at her. "Yes... something that is sadly hard to come across in our own worlds."

Sasuke blinked and looked at them. "How come?"

"Pollution," they said as one.

Tearra kept talking. "Factories and refineries send all kinds of smoke and chemicals into the air. It really dampens the smell."

The ninja snorted. "Your people poison your own planets? That's disgusting. But I guess each to their own."

Ryu and Tearra exchanged frowns, but said nothing in response to this observation. As much as they'd like to, they couldn't argue with facts.

They were currently walking through a region filled with ponds, some large, some small, scattered in all directions. They were walking upon a path that was situated between the various pools of water.

When one of those pools exploded upward and an enormous scaled body appeared, the four humans let out cries of alarm... even Sasuke.

"It's some kind of dragon!!" he cried. He quickly made several quick motions with his hands. "Fire Ninjitsu!!" He seemed to breathe fire from his mouth, right at the monster. The dragon didn't even seem to be singed.

"DAMN!!" He cast a quick glance at the others. "GET OUT OF HERE!! I'LL TRY TO HOLD IT OFF!!!" He made more movements with his hands and several dozen copies of himself appeared everywhere. They immediately leaped at the dragon-like monster, throwing shuriniken and dagger like weapons at the beast. They all bounced harmlessly off the scaly hide, much to his frustration. But his frustration turned to horror when a massive amount of tentacles laced out of the water and started swatting his copies like they were mere flies.

One of those tentacles struck him and he fell to the ground hard, his copies all vanishing in puffs of smoke. "DAMN!! I CAN'T BEAT THIS THING!!"

Tearra looked on in horror. "SASUKE!! GET UP!!! GET AWAY FROM THERE!!! IF YOU DON'T, THAT THING'S GOING TO..." She was cut off when the beast's long tail crashed into the ground behind her and her two other companions, sending them flying to the ground, close to the ninja. "Ow..." she moaned, rubbing her sore bottom.

Then Rin let out a terrified scream and clung to Ryu, her eyes enormous in fright as the dragon came in for the kill.

But the dragon stopped in his tracks when a man in a long blue robe stepped between them. "EVERYONE!! STAY BEHIND ME!!!" He pulled prayer beads off of his left hand and extended it palm outward, toward the dragon. "WIND TUNNEL!!!!"

The four stared in total shock and confusion when some sort of vortex seemed to open up in the palm of his hand, and the dragon, as well as the rocks and trees in the vicinity, were sucked in, like a black hole.

Tearra and Sasuke blinked as one. "What the hell...???"

He turned to them, and from the front they saw several more prayer beads hanging around his neck and a staff in hand, indicating he was a monk. "Are you all right?! Was anyone hurt?"

The three adults blinked slowly and shook their heads as one, as Rin slowly got to her feet. "Aren't y ou... Miroku? One of Inuyasha's friends?"

The monk blinked and then his eyes went wide. "Rin!! You were seperated from Sesshomaru and Jagen?"

She nodded. "Yes! Have you seen them?"

Sasuke got to his feet slowly. "Um... could you tell us what the hell you did with the dragon?"

The monk laughed. "Oh, that. It's a rather long tale. I am the monk, Miroku. Since you know Rin, you must know by now that we are not from this world..."

"None of us are," Ryu said. "All of us are from different worlds, and were brought here by some strange storm. I assume you experienced the same thing?"

The monk's expression turned surprised, and then very serious. "Yes, I did. And this news does not bode well with me at all. Has anyone discovered why this has happened?"

They all shook their heads. "We've been traveling together to see if we could find any clues, but we haven't come across anything so far," Tearra said.

The monk blinked, seeing her. Before anyone knew what was happening, he stood before her and held her hands in his own. "Perhaps I could be permitted to join you on your journey. After all, it would be an honor to be in the presence of such a lovely lady as you. And while we are on the subject of joining... Will you do me the honor of bearing me a son?"

Rin blinked innocently, while the two boys gaped in total and utter shock. It came as no surprise to anyone when Tearra's fist connected with the monks face. She was blushing furiously, but had an expression of anger on her face. "I DON'T THINK SO!!! I'VE GOT A BOYFRIEND, OKAY? WHAT THE HELL KIND OF A MONK AER YOU TO ASK ME SOMETHING LIKE THAT?!"

Miroku didn't seem phazed in the slightest. "Please, forgive my bluntness. I am afraid leachery is a family trait that I inherited. It is not something I am able to help. But in all honesty, I would greatly enjoy traveling with you all on your journey. My wind tunnel and ability to sense demonic energy would undoubtedly come in handy..." Then he blinked, looking at Ryu. "Speaking of which... I am sensing a strong spirit energy emenating from your chest..."

He blinked and then smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. "Ah, you must be sensing the spirit of the Millennium Ring. It's an artifact from an ancient land known as Egypt, and there is an evil spirit connected to it. He has been rather quiet since this ordeal began, so I don't think there is anything to fear from him."

Miroku frowned a little, but didn't push the matter.

Sasuke gave the monk a nod. "You are welcome to travel with us, if you wish. We are attempting to find our friends and see if we can't find out who or what is responsible for these strange events."

The monk smiled. "Then we will travel together."

Ryu smiled. "Good. Do you think you could explain about that strange hand of yours as we walk?"

Miroku nodded. "Of course. It is another curse of heredity. You see, me and my friends are trying to find and destroy a demon named Naraku, each for their own reasons. My own particular reason relates to the Wind Tunnel inside my hand..."

_Alrighty!! Chapter six is up!! R&R!!!!_


	7. Chapter 7

_Okay, here's chapter seven!! And I don't own Yugioh, Inuyasha, Yu Yu Hakusho, Naruto and whatever else I might throw in here later!!!_

Tea, Yugi and Shippo were seeking cover as Kurama and Sakura did battle with some strange snake demon... a very LARGE snake demon. They alternated between watching them battle it, Kurama with his plants, Sakura with her ninja techniques, in awe, and racing for cover to keep themselves from getting killed. The Pharaoh was in control of Yugi at the moment, trying to keep an eye on both Tea and the little fox demon at his side who alternated between jumping into the fray and trying to help with his illusions, and running back to them in terror when the monster took notice of him.

Kurama managed to destroy the mosnter with his rose whip, and they thought all was well... until a strange purple glow emanated around the snake demon and the creature started to regenerate.

Sakura yelped. "HOW CAN WE KILL SOMETHING IF IT JUST COMES BACK TO LIFE?!"

Kurama frowned, deep in thought as the snake completed its regeneration. "How indeed?"

"LEAVE IT TO ME!!" shouted a feminine voice from the side. Turning as one, everyone saw a young woman in a green and white school uniform aiming a bow and arrow. "SACRED ARROW!!" She loosed the arrow and it shot straight into the demon's forehead. The demon let out an ear piercing cry and it disintigrated, a tiny purple shard falling to the ground.

The girl raced up to them. "Are you guys okay?"

They all nodded as one, and Shippo peeked over the Pharaoh's shoulder. When he saw the girl picking up the jewel shard with a smile on her face, he immediately broke out into a huge smile. He launched himself at her as three others emerged from the trees.

"KAGOME!!!!"

The girl blinked and turned, a wide smile coming to her lips as well. "SHIPPO!!!" She pulled him into a hug. "OH, I WAS SO WORRIED ABOUT YOU!!"

Then Sakura and Kurama both blinked as one, seeing the other three that joined the dark haired girl.

"KAKASHI SENSEI!!"

"Sakura?"

"Kuwabara! Botan!"

"KURAMA!!!!"

All raced for the other. Sakura launched herself at her apparent teacher, as Botan launched herself at Kurama, who held her back a little dumbfoundedly.

Yugi and Tea came out from where they were hiding with sighs of relief. "So... you all know one another then?" the Pharaoh asked.

They all nodded and quickly made introductions.

Tea smiled. "I guess this means we're all traveling together then..."

Kakashi set down Kagome's huge backpack, which she immediately opened. "Is anyone injured? I have a first aid kit in here."

Kurama and Sakura shook their heads, but the kitsune spoke. "Sakura was thrown to the ground rather hard in the battle. I think she should be checked over."

She balked. "I'M FINE!!!"  
Kakashi looked at her. "Sakura, remember there is no shame in admitting to being injured... for you can fight much better if those injuries are treated. Now, if it is as Kurama says, then allow Kagome to treat you. She is a very accomplished healer."

The pink haired woman sighed. "Alright, Sensei."

Smiling in mild amusement, the others waiting until Kagome had checked Sakura over for her injuries, and treated them before moving on.

-----------------------------------------

Chrissy sighed, pressing her back against the rock wall and trying very hard not to look down, knowing that if she did so, all she would see was a sheer drop off, only inches from the front of her feet. And far below was a river, most likely with a very swift current. She could just imagine her foot slipping on a rock and her plummetting far, far down into the raging river below, losing her consciousness if not her own life...

"Hey, hurry up! You're lagging behind, Chrissy!" Kaiba growled slightly. He was a good ten feet ahead of her on the precariously small ledge.

She cast him a glare, her face too pale to make it seem threatening. "Hey! For your information, I happen to be terrified of heights! If this damn world wasn't infested with evil demons and monsters, I would have left you guys at the base of this mountain and taken the long way around! Just let me go at my own pace!"

Mokuba gulped a little from his brother's side. "You can't really blame her for being nervous, bro... I mean, it is a long way down..."

Inuyasha and Hiei cast a glance back. Neither one of them seemed to have any problem with how high up they were or how narrow their walkway was. "It's no big deal," said Inuyasha.

Hiei nodded. "Yeah. After all, we have no idea where we're going in the first place. At the moment we're just wandering around exploring to see if we can find anyone. We're not in any sort of a hurry, and it's still early. We should clear this mountain in an hour or so."

Chrissy moaned. "An HOUR?! You're kidding me! We've been on this fricking ledge for an hour already!!"

Hiei shrugged. "Hn. You can handle one more. You've gone this far."

She growled. "Easy for you to say, Mr. I'm-A-Demon-And-Can-Take-A-Thousand- Times-More-Punishment-Than-A-Human..."

In that instant, however, the entire mountain seemed to tremble slightly beneath their feet. Chrissy let out a screech and pressed herself flat against the wall, her eyes enormous. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!"

Inuyasha started. "It was an earthquake..." His eyes widened and he quickly picked up Mokuba who was right at his side. "KAIBA! HURRY!! YOU AND CHRISSY COME HERE BY ME AND HIEI!!"

The CEO nodded immediately.

Chrissy gulped and nodded. "A... alright..." She started to make her way toward them at a slightly faster pace, fearing what might happen if the Earth should shake again.

It did... much more violently than the first little shudder. She felt the ledge beneath her feet suddenly crumble. Her eyes went enormous and a terrified scream tore from her throat as she saw her companions getting taller. Kaiba rushed forward, his eyes going wide as he reached out his hand, his fingers barely brushing her own before she was out of his reach completely, a terrified scream following her all the way to the river.

"NO!! CHRISSY!!!!"

Mokuba quickly buried his face in Inuyasha's shoulder in horror, as Hiei and Inuyasha could only watch wide eyed. The ledge the CEO stood on started to crumble as well, but Hiei rushed forward, grabbing him before he could be swallowed as well. The two of them gripped their charges as the mountain shook beneath them for a few more minutes.

When all was still, the two of them exchanged a look and nodded as one.

"Trade you," Inuyasha said, holding forth Mokuba.

The fire demon nodded. "That'll make this easier," he said, handing Kaiba to Inuyasha.

The two humans exchanged a look. "Make what easier?" they asked as one, not sure if they really wanted to know.

"Let's GO!!!!" the two demons said, leaping off the cliff, hearing their cargo let out horrified cries, both of the human's eyes bugging out of their heads. Then they each used their swords to slow their descent as they got much closer to the river down below, immediately setting their cargo down once they had touched ground once more.

Neither Kaiba nor Mokuba were able to keep their footing after THAT experience.

Mokuba's eyes were wide and haunted. "Please... never do that again..."

Kaiba nodded, his own face a little green. "I agree..."

Inuyasha didn't seem to be paying attention. He was sniffing the air. Hiei simply rolled his eyes at the two humans and turned to the dog eared hanryu. "Can you smell her?"

He shook his head with a scowl. "No. The river washed away her scent. But maybe if we lucked out, she'll wash up on shore somewhere downstream! I should be able to pick up her scent then. Come on! You take Mokuba, I'll carry Kaiba!" he said. He immediately crouched down in front of the still pail CEO. "Come ON! If we're lucky, she might have survived!"

Hearing this, Mokuba was on Hiei's back in an instant. "Then let's go!"

Kaiba nodded, climbing on Inuyasha's back, gripping his kimono.

"Let's go."

--------------------------------

At the same moment as Chrissy fell in the river, both Kirsten and Tearra felt another stab of cold race through their bodies.

----------------------------------

Ishizu sighed, walking down a path that led to the river. Marik had somehow managed to trip and get the front of his shirt covered in mud. Sometimes he could still be as big a klutz as when he had first reached puberty and trip all over himself. She often felt less like his sister and more like his mother.

She let out a sigh as she cleared the bushes, but when her eyes fell on the river, she let out a startled cry of alarm.

The others were all there in seconds, Koga ready for battle, but his stance dropped immediately when he saw what had startled Ishizu.

A young woman was lying face down on the bank of the river, unconscious. Marik rushed forward immediately, dragging her away from the current and completely onto the shore. He then rolled her over gently, and upon seeing that she wasn't breathing, quickly administered CPR, bringing his mouth to her own and pressing hard at the base of her ribs five times, before repeating the mouth to mouth.

He did this procedure several times and everyone watched in tense silence, until the girl started coughing. Marik sighed in relief and felt her forehead. "She's getting a light fever. We should bring her back to the camp and treat her injuries."

The Tomb Keeper very carefully lifted the woman in his arms and started back. When they had her lying down with Ishizu's shawl acting as a blanket to cover her, Hinata looked at them. "I will gather some healing herbs."

Ishizu cleared her throat meaningfully, looking at the men. "Hinata and I will take care of her injuries. You boys look the other way."

Marik, Odion, and Koga both turned a little red and nodded as one, going to the other side of the clearing as Hinata returned with a basket of herbs. The two girls worked in silence for about a half hour, checking her injuries over and treating them. When they were finished, the young woman had her ribs binded in bandages, they had had to pull her right arm back into place from a dislocation, and her head had a bandage covering a wound. She was given some herbal remedy to keep her fever from getting any worse.

Ishizu smiled. "She should be fine now. Her injuries weren't serious."

Koga stood with his arms crossed. "It's a good thing you spotted her, or she'd have died."

Marik nodded. "Yeah... poor thing."

Odion looked at them. "I think we should remain here for a couple hours to make sure her condition doesn't worsen."

The wolf demon sighed, but caved in. He wanted to get a move on, but he guessed the girl was more important. And besides, he couldn't just leave the humans to fend for themselves.

"Well, I guess since we'll be here for a while, I may as well catch us another boar or two to munch on..."

---------------------------------------

Naruto and Joey strolled through the woods, both of their eyes half-lidded due to lack of food. Joey held his stomach. "Can't you catch something for us?"

The boy at his side moaned. "If you see something I can kill and we can eat without gagging, tell me and I'll catch it. You'll have to be the one to cook it, though... last time I tried to cook food for myself, I was in the bathroom every five minutes."

Joey took his turn to moan. "Okay, this ain't good... we're both starving, and even though one of us is able ta CATCH the food, neither one of us can cook..." Then he and Naruto both stopped as one, their eyes going huge and they immediately started to drool.

"FOOD!!!!! I SMELL FOOD!!!!" they both hollared at once. The two of them charged off into the trees, letting their noses lead them.

They found themselves in a clearing, their eyes shining as they both knelt before a fire, not even taking notice of the group of people who blinked in surprise at their sudden appearance when they saw the wild boar roasting over the fire.

Until...

"JOEY?!" three voices cried as one.

"NARUTO!!!"

The two of them looked up in surprise, the ninja in time to have a young woman with white eyes fling herself at him, wrapping her arms around him in an instant.

"HINATA?!" he said in both surprise and relief, giving her a hug back.

Meanwhile, Joey was looking at the three Egyptians. "Marik? Ishizu? Odion?" He blinked and then stared in shock. "Ya mean that storm went over EGYPT too?!"

Marik nodded. "Yes. Is the Pharaoh here as well?"

Joey shrugged. "I dunno. I woke up here alone, and Naruto here saved me from a buncha jerks who were tryin' ta kill me."

Ishizu frowned a little. "If you are here, then I think it is very likely that the Pharaoh and the rest of his friends are here as well." Then she gave him a small smile. "I am relieved to know that you are all right, Joey. This is Hinata, a ninja from a village in another world named Konoha, and this is Koga, a demon from the Wolf Tribe. All of us are in the same strange situation. We have yet to find someone native to this world."

Joey frowned and Naruto blinked, looking up. "You mean you haven't found ANYONE who lives here?"

Odion shook his head. "No one."

The ninja frowned, thinking a moment, and then he blinked, seeing the bundled up form by the fire. "Hey, who's that?"

Ishizu shook her head. "We don't know. We found her washed up on the river bank earlier today. She hasn't woken up yet."

Marik smiled at them. "You two hungry? I think there should be enough for..."

"YES!!!!!!" the two of them shouted at once, their eyes huge.

Koga smirked. "Well, it should be ready in just a few minutes. So take a seat. I guess we've got some new traveling companions."

Ishizu knelt by the girl to examine her once more. "Her injuries don't appear to be getting any worse. I think we can travel without bringing her further harm."

Koga smirked. "Great. We'll move out after we eat."

_Chapter Seven is up now!! I'm updating like crazy because this story is so freaking long!! R&R everyone! I wanna know what you think!! Thanks!!! _


	8. Chapter 8

_Here's chapter eight! It's gonna be a long one... lots of reunions, and even a DUEL! Yup, Yugi's enemies are here too! Wait till you see who it is and who gets to duel them!! It ain't Yugi or his buddies... hehehe... R&R!!!!_

Inuyasha stopped abruptly and sniffed the ground. He smiled. "She was right here! I can smell her!"

Kaiba looked down and saw several footprints. "It looks like someone found her. I just hope they were decent people."

Hiei frowned, still holding Mokuba on his back. "I guess we'll see. Let's keep going, and..."

Inuyasha suddenly moaned, picking up a scent. "Oh, NO!! Not THAT idiot..."

Mokuba looked up at him. "Inuyasha? What is it?"

He sighed. "I was hoping that stupid Wolf wouldn't be here, but..." He shook his head. "Don't worry, he won't hurt her. At least he's with someone who's halfway strong and who won't bring her harm. I just don't like that idiot, Koga. He's always trying to make Kagome his mate."

Kaiba smirked. "Maybe he'll change his mind now that he has Chrissy. You DID say she's like your woman..."

Inuyasha kept sniffing around. "There's some other scents here, too... but they're human. I guess Koga has a group of his own." He knelt down and Kaiba got back on his back. "Well, let's get going. They weren't here long ago... only a few hours or so."

Hiei nodded. "So we should be able to find them soon enough. Let's go."

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Chrissy became aware that someone was carrying her. She let out a small moan and opened her eyes a little blearily, trying to ignore the pain in her ribs and shoulder. It was totally forgotten when she saw a man with dark brown hair and slitted eyes looking down at her.

Instinct set in immediately. She let out a screech and wriggled out of his arms, quickly rushing to the side and pressing herself up against a tree, her heart hammering in her chest.

There were several others there... the rest of them, thankfully, looking human, and dressed in more modern clothes. Three of them looked undeniably Egyptian, two had blonde hair, and there was a young woman with pale skin and dark hair, with white eyes.

She had about three seconds to take them in before she was hit with a dizzy spell and almost fell, until she felt someone quickly catch her. "Easy! We're not going to hurt you. We found you unconscious by the river. Are you okay?"

Once her vision cleared once more and she found her footing, she found herself leanding against a handsom Egyptian with white hair, carrying a strange golden rod at his belt.

She hesitated. "Um... I think so..."

He smiled at her gently. "I'm Marik. This is my sister, Ishizu, and my brother, Odion. Then this is Joey, Naruto, Hinata, and Koga of the Wolf Demons."

She sighed in relief, seeing that they didn't seem to intend to hurt her. "I'm Chrissy."

Ishizu stepped forward, smiling gently. "How did you wind up in the river?"

She blinked. "I was traveling with some other people and we were passing through the mountains on a very narrow ledge. There was an earthquake and the ledge broke away beneath me." She started. "Aw, man!! I hope Kaiba didn't fall after me!!"

All the Egyptian's and Joey's eyes went huge. "KAIBA?! AS IN SETO KAIBA?!"  
She blinked. "Yeah... you guys know him? He and his little brother were the first people I came across in this weird world. I don't suppose you know where we are, do you?" When they all shook their heads, she rolled her eyes and let out a sigh. "Why am I not surprised?"

Joey frowned. "So, Kaiba and Mokuba are here too..." He looked at her. "Was anyone else with you?"

She nodded. "Yup. There was a fire demon named Hiei, and a half demon with adorable doggy ears named Inuyasha..."

Koga snarled immediately. "INUYASHA?! THAT WORTHLESS HALF BREED IS HERE?!" He growled. "Just great... of all people, why'd HE have to be here?!"

Chrissy frowned at him. "Hey! For your information, that 'worthless halfbreed saved me, Kaiba and Mokuba several times!! Don't you go putting him down!!"

He humphed and crossed his arms. "Fine. He's strong, I'll give him that much. But he's still an idiot."

Joey, meanwhile, came up to Chrissy and extended his hand, a grin on his face. "The name's Joey Wheeler, Duelist Extraordinaire... in case ya happened to miss it..."

She smiled and shook his hand, deciding to ignore Koga for now. "Nice to meet you." They started walking once more. "Kaiba mentioned something about being a duelist himself. What did he mean?"

"We're both champion players of the game Duel Monsters."

She blinked slowly. "Duel... Monsters?"

He sighed. "Definitely not from our world if you haven't heard of it. It's a game where you use monster, magic and trap cards. It originates from the Shadow Games in Ancient Egypt where Pharaoh's and sorcerers used magic to duel with real monsters." He started explaining about the different cards, and different rules of the game, Marik, Ishizu and Odion stepping in to help with the explanations behind the ancient heritage.

She smiled. "Sounds similar to a game that was popular for a while in my world... something called Magic: The Gathering. I've never been big on games, though, so I never played it. Not to mention the cards were WAY too expensive for my budget."

Koga suddenly groaned and turned. "Just great... the mutt's coming."

She blinked. "The mutt?"

Suddenly as they watched, two figures Chrissy recognized immediately, carrying two more familiar figures on their backs, leaped through the trees and landed before them on the trail.

She broke into a smile immediately and came forward. "Guys! You came to find me!!"

Mokuba rushed forward immediately and threw his arms around her. "CHRISSY-SAN!!! I WAS WORRIED ABOUT YOU!!!!"

Chrissy's face turned pained and she managed a tight smile. "I'm... happy to... see you too... Mokuba, but... could you... please not... squeeze my ribs?"

His eyes went huge and he immediately pulled away. "Sorry!" Then he blinked, looking past her, his smile growing more. "Joey! Marik, Ishizu and Odion!!"

Joey grinned. "Hey there, Kiddo!"  
Koga, however, was immediately in Inuyasha's face. "Yo, Mutt!! Where's Kagome?!"

Inuyasha scowled. "How the hell would I know? I was seperated from her when we were brought to this weird world!"

Koga snarled. "YOU MEAN SHE'S OUT THERE BY HERSELF SOMEWHERE?!"

The hanryu snarled right back. "HEY!!! IT'S NOT LIKE IT'S MY FAULT, YOU DUMB WOLF!!!"

Kaiba, meanwhile, stepped forward, giving Joey a cool look. "Wheeler..."

Joey frowned right back at him. "Kaiba..."

Chrissy, Naruto, Hinata, Mokuba, Hiei, and the three Egyptians stood off to the side, watching Kaiba and Joey frowning at each other and the two demons as they argued.

Chrissy smiled a little. "So... it looks like Inuyasha has some competition..." She sighed. "I wish guys would fight over me like that..."

Marik blinked slowly. "If you say so..."

Hiei rolled his eyes and stepped forward, clearing his throat. "Hey... are we going to stand around here all day, or are we going?"

Koga scowled at the half demon. "This isn't over, mutt!"

Inuyasha scowled right back. "You bet it isn't! When we get back to our world, it'll be just you and me! You got that, Wolf?! And I'm only telling you this once... STAY AWAY FROM KAGOME!!!"

Koga growled low in his throat, but decided to let the matter drop for now as they continued on their way.

Kaiba looked at Chrissy as they walked. "I've gotta say, you have more lives than a cat..."

She moaned. "Tell me about it. Between Mr. Centipede Demon, Kagura, and falling off the side of a mountain, I'm really pushing my luck..."

Kaiba snorted. "You really lucked out with falling into the river. I was almost positive you were dead."

Marik decided it would be best if he didn't mention the fact that the girl hadn't been breathing when they had come across her. He blushed as he remembered reviving her.

Naruto's head suddenly jerked up and he took up a fighting stance, facing the trees off to the left of the clearing. "Someone's coming!!"

Koga snorted. "Well, we're just coming across people left and right today, aren't we?"

They stood in silence for a moment until the bushes parted and man dressed in a long brown robe appeared, raising his head to reveal a man who looked to be in his forties with a beard. He stopped immediately upon seeing Kaiba and Joey. "Joey Wheeler! Seto Kaiba!!" He removed the robe, revealing a strange duel disk on his arm and a glowing green jewel around his neck. "I HAVE COME FOR YOUR SOULS BY ORDER OF MASTER DARTZ!!!"

Kaiba uncrossed his arms, raising an eyebrow. "Just great... you must be one of Dartz's followers. Sorry to disappoint you, but my duel disk and deck were left behind in our world."

Joey nodded. "Same here. An' besides, this is no time ta be gatherin' souls for your psycho master!"

He frowned at them. "I have come for your souls and I will not leave until I have gathered them!"

Chrissy moaned, and her face turned angry. "I AM SICK OF THIS SHIT!! LISTEN YOU FUCKING IDIOT!! IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T NOTICED, WE ARE HAVING A BIT OF A SITUATION HERE, OR DID YOU NOT NOTICE THAT YOU ARE NOT IN YOUR OWN WORLD ANYMORE?! THIS IS NO TIME TO BE PLAYING GAMES OF ANY KIND!! SAVE IT FOR WHEN YOU GET BACK HOME!!!"

The man looked at her and a cold smile came to his lips. "You're spirited... I like that."

The strange green stone around his neck flared and Chrissy felt a tingling sensation on her wrist. Then she felt a strange weight. Looking down, she saw a strange device, similar to the one the man had on his own arm. "What the hell?"

Kaiba's eyes widened. "A duel disk!"

Joey nodded. "Yeah, and look! There's a deck in there!"

The man laughed. "I am Gurimo, follower of Dartz! And I will duel with you first, little girl! And when I defeat you, your soul will be an offering for the revival of the Great Leviathan!!"

Her eyes went huge. "WHAT?! YOU WANNA DUEL _**ME?!"**_

He activated the duel disk on his arm and drew five cards, and then a sixth. "I'll start by activating this card... THE SEAL OF ORICALCHOS!!!" he said, placing it in the Field Card slot on the side of the disk.

Immediately dark clouds filled the sky and the green symbol appeared, descending over them and pushing everyone out of the area...

--------------------------------------

Only a few miles away, Tea let out a cry of alarm, seeing the frighteningly familiar symbol appear in the sky. "YUGI!!! LOOK!!!!"

The Pharaoh immediately took control of his aibou. "IT'S THE SEAL OF ORICALCHOS!!!" His eyes went huge. "Oh, NO!!! THAT MEANS SOMEONE WILL LOSE THEIR SOUL!!!"

Kakashi and the others looked on with them. "Are you talking about that card came you were telling us about?"

Tea nodded. "That's right! There's an evil magic card called the Seal of Oricalchos! When it's played in a duel, the loser of the duel will lose their soul! We have to get over there! It could be Joey in the duel right now!"

Shippo jumped onto her shoulder. "I say we go!! Some of our friends could be there too!!"

Kurama nodded. "Yes." He knelt down in front of the Pharaoh. "Get on!"

Kakashi created two copies of himself so he could carry Kagome, Kuwabara and Botan, while Sakura let Tea jump on her back.

Then they all shot off in the direction they had seen the seal.

----------------------------------------

Duke saw the seal as well. Upon quickly explaining what it was and the implications behind it, Gaara created three copies of himself, and they all hopped on his backs and he shot off.

-----------------------------------------

Miroku suddenly looked over at Bakura, sensing the spirit rising to the surface. He announced that he detected the start of a Shadow Game, briefly explaining what a shadow game was as he saw the seal descending from the sky in the distance. Sasuke immediately created three copies of himself and allowed the others to ride on his back as he shot off to the location of the duel.

---------------------------------------------

Tristan spotted the seal as well, and quickly brougtht it to the attention of his companions. Sango immediately had Kaylalla transform, she and Tristan mounting the fire cat, while Rock Lee and Yusuke followed below on the ground, using their own speed to keep up.

---------------------------------------------

When the seal extended past Chrissy, she quickly shut her eyes and tensed up, expecting to feel something, but no strange sensations came over here. Instead, she heard the others cry out in alarm and she turned quickly, her eyes widening when she saw that they had been thrown back by the seal.

She raced for them. "YOU GUYS OKAY?!" Then when she reached the edge of the Seal, it was as though she hit a wall and she fell back. Her eyes were huge now as she scrambled to her feet and pounded on some sort of a force field. "WHAT THE HELL?! SOMEONE GET ME OUTTA THIS THING!!!!"

Joey, Kaiba and Mokuba's eyes were huge. "HE PLAYED THE SEAL OF ORICALCHOS!!!!" they shouted as one.

Joey gulped. "That means she has ta duel him... an' if she loses..."

Mokuba stared, his eyes wide. "Then she'll lose her soul..."

Inuyasha snarled. "I DON'T THINK SO!!!" He unsheathed his sword. "WIND..."

Koga grabbed his arm. "NO, YOU IDIOT!! IF YOU DESTROY THE SEAL WITH THE WIND SCAR, YOU'LL KILL THEM BOTH!!!!"

Inuyasha growled. "Fine!! Tetsuaiga should be able to destroy it without the wind scar!!" He held the sword and charged the strange seal, swinging the sword. Instead of destroying the seal, there was a bright flash of light where the blade connected and the hanryu was flung back.

"DAMN!! NOTHING!!!"

Gurimo laughed. "The only way to get rid of the Seal is if someone's lifepoints hits zero... and that person will lose their soul. So, let's get started." He picked a card. "I summon Armored Lizard in attack mode!! (1500/1200) And since the Seal of Oricalchos is on my side of the field, all my monsters will get an automatic 500 points boost! (2000 atk) Then I'll play one card face down and end my turn."

Chrissy's eyes were saucers. "YOU'VE GOTTA BE FUCKING KIDDING ME!!! HE'S SERIOUS ABOUT THIS!! I'VE NEVER DUELED BEFORE IN MY LIFE!! I NEVER EVEN HEARD ABOUT THIS GAME UNTIL LIKE AN HOUR AGO!!!!!"

He smirked. "That's quite a problem you have them. But it's not my concern. It will simply make it easier for me to defeat you."

Joey's hands were balled into fists. "This is NOT good!! She hasn't got a clue about this game!! How is she supposed ta beat someone with the Seal of Oricalchos when she's never even dueled before?!"

Naruto looked at him. "What exactly is that thing? What does it do?"

The duelist looked at the ninja. "It's a magic seal. Once someone plays it, it'll only leave the field at the end of the duel when someone's lifepoints hits zero. And whoever it is that lost will lose their soul at the end of the duel!"

Hinata's eyes went wide. "But... without a soul... her body would slowly wither and die..."

Marik growled at Gurimo. "YOU COWARD!! YOU WOULD FORCE AN INNOCENT GIRL WITH NO KNOWLEDGE ON THE GAME TO DUEL YOU FOR HER SOUL?!"

Kaiba snarled as well. "SHE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT CARDS SHE HAS IN HER DECK!! HOW CAN YOU ASK HER TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS?! IT'S NOT FAIR!!"

The man smirked. "The cards in her deck are a reflection of her soul. If her soul is strong, and if she's smart, she might stand a half chance in hell of winning."

Chrissy was looking more and more horrified by the moment. "Didn't you hear me, shit for brains?! I've never even heard of this game until an hour ago!!!!"

Hiei growled at the man. "Your cowardliness disgusts me! When that Seal comes down, I'll kill you!!"

The man pointed at the girl, seeming to ignore the demon's threat. "Listen! If you do not draw your cards, I will consider it a forfeit and you will lose your soul anyway! You have two minutes to decide!!"

The duelists all growled. Joey looked at her. "Chrissy!! Listen!! Just remember what I told ya about the game!! I hate ta say this, but there's nothin' we can do ta get ya outta there. Believe me, we've tried before!! Remember!! Defense mode, ya put the monsters on the disk sideways! The slots in the bottom are for magic and trap cards! Read the info on the cards and think carefully before ya make a move!"

Kaiba quickly spoke up. "You always play the magic and trap cards face down, and you push the buttons in front of each slot to activate it! You can play magic cards straight from your hand, but trap cards have to stay face down on the field for at least one turn before you can activate it!!" he said quickly, understanding that Chrissy had to understand the workings of the duel disk as well if she wanted to have a half chance in hell of winning.

Marik cut in then. "You can summon level 1 to 4 monsters to the field directly from your hand, but to summon 5 or 6 star monsters, you have to sacrifice one monster, and for 7 or above, you need to sacrifice two monsters! The only exceptions are if you summon with magic or trap cards, card effects, or if they are fusion or ritual monsters! Normal monster cards are yellow, effect monsters are brown, fusion are purple, and ritual monster cards are blue! Just follow the instructions on the cards!!"

She gulped. "O...okay... um... how do I...?" She held up her arm with the duel disk.

"HOLD YOUR ARM STRAIGHT OUT AND THEN BEND IT TOWARD YOU!!" the three of them said as one.

Trembling, she did so. The duel disk activated.

Kaiba looked at her. "Alright! Now draw five cards, and then draw one more! DON'T TELL US WHAT CARDS YOU HAVE!! You'll lose for sure if you do that!!"

Her stomach was doing flip flops as she slowly drew six cards from her deck and examined them one at a time.

She had three monsters... two effect and one normal. The normal monster was called Battle Ox, one effect monster was Gearfried the Iron Knight, and according to the card, any equip spell cards attatched to the monster would be destroyed. Then the last effect monster was called Monk Fighter and apparently, if she played it and it was destroyed in attack mode by another monster, she wouldn't lose lifepoints. Then there were two magic cards... Change of heart, which would allow her to take control of an opponent's monster for a single turn, and Different Dimension Capsule, which would allow her to look in her deck and choose any card she wanted, removing it from the game for two turns when she could add the selected card to her hand. The final card was a trap called Waboku, which would keep her from losing life points if she was attacked by a monster.

She was too panicked at the moment to really think too clearly, but she knew enough that she had to protect her lifepoints. "I summon Battle Ox in defense mode!" she said, placing the card sideways on the monster zone. She looked over her shoulder at Kaiba and the others. "I placed it correctly, right?" she asked.

Joey nodded. "Yeah! That's the way ya do it!"

She sighed in relief. "Good... and now I'll play one card face down." She said, placing Waboku in one of the slots. Both her monster and the card showed up on the field. "That will end my turn," she said, her voice sounding more than a little shaky.

In that instant, the bushes off to their right rustled madly and several figures all jumped into the scene. A man with the strangest hairstyle leaped off of a red haired man's back and he stopped in his tracks, spotting Joey, Kaiba, Marik and his siblings.

"YUGI!!!" they all said in shock and relief.

His eyes went wide. "Joey?! Kaiba?! Marik?! If you're not dueling, then who is?!"

Kaiba pointed wordlessly at the girl who was trapped inside the seal. "That girl is!! That asshole she's dueling against forced her into it!"

Joey nodded. "Yeah, and she's never even dueled before in her life! I only told her a little about the game an hour ago, and then Kaiba, Marik and me gave her a two minute crash course a few seconds ago before she started her turn! He told her if she didn't duel, he'd consider it a forfeit and she'd lose her soul anyway!"

Marik frowned. "And that's not all... she doesn't even know what cards she has in her deck."

Everyone's expressions turned both horrified and furious.

The Pharaoh took over in that instant, livid. "HOW DARE YOU?! THAT WOMAN ISN'T EVEN FROM OUR WORLD AND YOU ARE FORCING HER INTO A DUEL?! AND FOR HER SOUL, NO LESS?! WHAT KIND OF A COWARD ARE YOU?!" he snarled.

Tea's hand were over her mouth. "That... poor girl..."

The man smiled cruelly. "Her lack of knowledge is her problem, not mine, Pharaoh. My duty is to collect souls for Master Dartz. It doesn't matter to me who I get them from and it doesn't matter to my master either. This is her own tough luck."

Chrissy turned a little and saw the man and his companions. "Pharaoh...?" she wondered aloud, seeing his handsom features and strange gravity defying hairstyle.

Kagome blinked. "So... if she loses this game, she'll lose her soul?"

Tea nodded. "Yes. We've seen it happen before. When the seal leaves the field, it leaves with the losers soul. If that happens, she'll still be alive, but she'll be in a coma. Nothing will wake her up."

Kurama frowned deeply hearing this, and his eyes fell squarely on the young woman that was trapped in the seal. The cruelty involved in this game appalled him. An innocent young woman with no experience in this strange game was being forced to play... and if she lost it, she would lose her soul, perhaps forever.

The man cleared his throat. "It's my turn now." He drew a card and smirked. "I summon White Thief in attack mode! And it gains 500 points of power, giving it 1500 attack points. I'll use it to destroy your Battle Ox!" The beast launched itself forward, lashing out at her monster and destroying it. She gulped, taking the beast and placing it in the graveyard slot. "And now my Armored Lizard will attack your lifepoints directly!!"

The girl let out a screech of alarm, her finger quickly pushing the button by her face down card on her duel disk and flinched, closing her eyes as the beast launched itself at her. A few seconds passed and she opened her eyes, sighing in immense relief.

Joey grinned. "Waboku! Good one! Ya kept your lifepoints safe!"

The man frowned. "You're safe for now, but that will not last! Your soul will be sealed away and offered to the Great Leviathan! Now take your turn!"

Kakashi blinked. "Leviathan?"

Tea glanced at him. "Our enemy, a man by the name of Dartz, is trying to ressurrect a terrible beast to destroy the world. In order for him to do that, he needs souls as offerings. That's why he uses the Seal of Oricalchos. He has his Dark Duelists do his dirty work, dueling whoever they can and then brings their sealed souls back to him."

Chrissy took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to get her heart rate under control. All eyes were on her and she knew it. She slowly drew a card and looked at it, reading the inscription. She smiled in relief. "Finally, a little luck!" She placed the card in the magic and trap slots. "I activate the magic card, Dark Hole! It pulls all of the monsters off of the field. That'll leave you wide open! And now I summon Monk Fighter in attack mode! And I'll attack your lifepoints directly!!"

The Pharaoh smiled. "Great move!!"

She sighed in relief as Gurimo's lifepoints were reduced to 2700. "I end my turn."

Joey let out a whoop. "AWESOME!! YOU'RE ALREADY IN THE LEAD!!!!"

Kaiba frowned. "Quiet, Wheeler. You should know by now that lifepoints don't mean anything. This duel is just getting started."

Gurimo frowned, looking at his hand. "I activate Monster Reborn, to bring my Armored Lizard back to the field in attack mode! And I'll attack your Monk Fighter!"

Her monster was destroyed and she put it into her graveyard. Her opponent stared.

"Why didn't your lifepoints reduce? Your monster was in attack mode! You should have lose seven hundred lifepoints!!"

She scratched the back of her head. "I believe the inscription read 'any damage inflicted by an opponents monster to this card is reduced to zero', so I guess that's why."

Ishizu smiled. "For her first duel, she is doing exceptionally well. It seems she has a knack for this game."

The Pharaoh nodded in relief. "Apparently so. But it's not over yet."

Kaiba nodded. "Yes. And she still doesn't have a clue what cards are still in her deck."

The girl drew another card and looked at it. "I summon Indomitable Fighter Lei Lei in attack mode! (2300/0) Attack his Armored Lizard!"

LP: 2400 (Gurimo) 4000 (Chrissy)

She blinked. "I don't believe it... am I actually winning?"

The man frowned as he drew a card. "That will change, I can assure you. I summon Yado-Karyu in defense mode! (1400/1700) And then I'll place one card face down and end my turn!"

The girl drew another card and examined her hand for a few seconds. "I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight in attack mode!"

"You triggered my trap card, God's Declaration!!"

The Pharaoh and Kaiba's eyes both widened. "OH NO!!!!"

Kurama looked at the two of them. "What's that?" The man dueling the woman answered for them.

"This trap card will destroy both of your monsters and a huge chunk of your lifepoints! It will take half of your monsters attack points and subtract it from your lifepoints!"

Her eyes went huge. "WHAT?! OH CRAP!!" Her lifepoints were reduced to 1950.

Joey's mouth gaped. "SHE LOST MORE THAN HALF OF HER LIFEPOINTS IN A SINGLE TURN!! THIS IS NOT GOOD!!!"

Tea smacked him upside the head. "No kidding you idiot!! If she loses this duel, she'll lose her soul!!!"

Inuyasha looked at the Pharaoh. "Hey! Isn't there any way to destroy that Seal thing? Can't we somehow get her outta there?!"

Naruto nodded in full agreement. "Yeah!We've gotta do something to stop this!"

He sighed and shook his head. "We've tried before, but nothing has worked. Only when the duel is over will it leave the field. And when it leaves, it always leaves with the soul of the loser of the duel. I'm afraid she is on her own."

Kurama's frown deepened as he continued to look at the young woman unwaveringly. The woman was in very real danger and there was nothing any of them could do to help her. From what he could sense, she had no special abilities of her own to protect herself with. He just hoped that her cards would be drawn in her favor.

The girl was trembling again as she put a card in the magic and trap slot. "I activate Different Dimension Capsule! This allows me to look in my deck and select any card I want! Then I have to remove it from the game for two turns when I can add it to my hand!"

Kaiba sighed in slight relief. "Good... she can see what sort of cards she has in her deck now. That knowledge might help her later on."

Chrissy went through her deck carefully, examining each of the cards she had, her eyes widening slightly when she saw two incredibly powerful monsters, and many cards that would be very useful to her right now. But unfortunately, she had no choice but to choose only one. After a few minutes of carefully looking through the numerous cards, she selected a card and set it aside. Then she shuffled her deck and put it back into place.

"Alright! Now, I activate Change of Heart! I'm taking control of your monster and having him attack your lifepoints directly!!"

"Go, Mirror Wall!! It reflects your attack back at the monster, destroying it!!"

Pharaoh's eyes went huge. "Her turn is over!! And her lifepoints are wide open!!"

Everyone's eyes went wide. "NOT GOOD!!!"

He smirked, drawing a card. "I summon Netherworld Soldier in attack mode! (1700 atk) and attack your lifepoints directly!!!!"

The girl let out a terrified screech as the monster lunged at her and swiped at her. The force of the blow sent her flying back into the wall of the seal. She let out a cry of pain and slumped to the ground, holding her side. Her lifepoints reduced to only 250.

Ishizu started. "Her injuries!"

Kurama looked at her. "Injuries?"!

Ishizu nodded. "Yes. Earlier today she fell off a cliff and into a river. Our group found her washed up on the embankment, and she sustained several injuries in her fall. If she is attacked like that again, not only would she lose her soul, but she could also lose her life!"

The Pharaoh was just beyond her reach outside the seal. "MISS!! ARE YOU ALL RIGHT?!"

Chrissy gritted her teeth. "I think... I'm okay..." Then she looked up at Kaiba and Joey, who were also kneeling at her side, just outside the seal. "HEY!! WHAT'S THE DEAL?! I THOUGHT YOU SAID THESE THINGS WERE ONLY HOLOGRAMS! THAT SURE FELT REAL TO ME!!!!"

The Pharaoh sighed. "The Seal is in place... and that means that the monsters are now real."

Her eyes went huge. "Whoa, WHOA!! TELL ME YOUR JOKING!! YOU MEAN I'M TRAPPED IN HERE WITH REAL MONSTERS?!?!"

The Pharaoh looked at her. "Tell me... where did you get a duel disk and deck if you've never dueled before?"

She snorted. "I have no idea. That weird stone he's wearing around his neck started to glow and it just appeared around my wrist, deck included."

Joey looked at him. "That jerk said the deck is a reflection of her soul."

The Pharaoh looked at her. "Miss, listen to me. If you hope to win this duel, you MUST have faith in yourself and in your deck. If you believe you will win, then you will. Let the heart of the cards guide you."

Joey grinned. "This here's the man to listen to! He's the World Champ of the game! He's never been defeated!"

The Pharaoh gave her a gentle smile. "Keep calm, and trust in your deck. Trust in your soul and in your heart. You CAN defeat him, but you must believe in yourself."

She took in a deep breath and let it out. "Okay." She got to her feet and faced her opponent once more.

Gurimo smirked. "I'm feeling generous, so I'll activate Card of Sanctity. This will allow the both of us to draw until we each hold six cards in our hands. And then I will end my turn by placing one card face down."

Chrissy breathed a sigh of relief. That meant she would have more cards to choose from. She was only down to one. She soon had Rush Recklessly, a magic card that increased the attack strength of a monster by 700 points for a single turn, a powerful monster called the Dark Magician, a trap card called Blast with Chain that would act as an equip magic card once activated and increase a monster's attack strength by 500 points, a dragon called Spirit Ryu, Kaiser Seahorse, and Kuriboh. She read the inscriptions on the cards carefully, and then decided on her move.

"I summon Kaiser Seahorse in attack mode!! (1800/1650) And I'll place two cards face down and attack your Netherworld Soldier!"

"My Ice Wall trap card will stop your monster's attack!" he declared, activating the card. She breathed a sigh of relief upon finding her monster was still there and there were no additional effects from the trap.

He drew a card. "Now I'll sacrifice my Netherworld Soldier, and summon Flame Cerberus in attack mode!! (2800/1800) Destroy her Kaiser Seahorse and end this duel!!!"

Everyone cried out in alarm, but Chrissy pressed the two switches by her face down cards. "I activate Rush Recklessly and Blast with Chain! Combined, these two cards will increase my Kaiser Seahorse's attack strength by 1200 points, giving him a grand total of 3000! Kaiser Seahorse, Counter attack!!"

LP: Gurimo 2200, Chrissy 250.

He snarled as everyone else breathed sighs of relief. "I'll place two cards face down and end my turn!"

Marik blinked. "I've gotta say, that wasn't a bad move..."

She drew a card and looked at him. "I can now add the card I removed from the game to my hand!" She did so and looked at her hand. "I summon Spirit Ryu in defense mode and end my turn!"

"I summon Sting to the field! And then I'll activate my Multiple Monster Magic Card, which will bring four more Stings to the field! I'll leave four in defense mode, while I attack you with the fifth! Sting, destroy her Spirit Ryu!!"

Chrissy lost a hundred lifepoints, bringing her down to 150.

She started. "Wait a second! My monster was in defense mode, so how come I lost lifepoints?"

He chuckled. "Because of my Sting's special ability.When it attacks a defense position monster, it subtracts it's defense points from my monsters attack, and then subtracts the difference from your lifepoints."

She frowned and drew a card. "My turn!" She looked at it for a moment, her game face coming on.

Kaiba smirked. "If I didn't know any better, I'd swear she was starting to enjoy herself..."

The Pharaoh couldn't help but let a small smile come to his face. "She is finally putting faith in herself and in her deck."

Kurama looked at him. "Do you really think she can win? She has very few lifepoints left, and he still has over two thousand. And she has also never played this game before, while he seems to be very experienced."

The Pharaoh looked at him. "The monsters in her deck are a reflection of her soul. I believe she can pull through this. She's made some impressive moves so far, and I have a feeling she has more where they came from. Experience means nothing if you don't have heart. And heart is what truly matters in this game."

With that, they turned their attention back to the duel.

"I summon Mine Golem in defense mode! (1000/1900) Then I'll have my Kaiser Seahorse attack your attack position Sting Monster!"

"I activate my trap card Shift, to redirect the attack to one of my defense monsters!"

She frowned. "Damn..." She looked at her cards. "Well, my turn's over, so just go!"

He drew another card and a cold smile came to his lips. "I play Polymerization to fuse these two monsters into my ultimate beast... the Black Demon's Dragon!!! (3700/2500)"

Chrissy's eyes went huge. "Oh, shit..."

He chuckled. "Fortunately for you, fusion monsters cannot attack in the same turn that they are summoned. And when my monster is summoned to the field, it allows my opponent to draw a single card from their deck. So you have one turn before I begin destroying you! So I will place one card face down and end my turn!"

She drew a card which turned out to be a weak monster called Milus Radiant.

Joey gulped. "How is she supposed ta defeat THAT thing?! It's got 3700 attack points!!"

Pharaoh watched the proceedings carefully. "Have faith, Joey. I believe she can do this."

Tea sighed. "Let's hope."

Casting a quick glance off to his right, Kurama saw that Hiei stood beside a young boy with long dark hair, his red eyes looking at the dueling woman, his lips set in a deep frown.

Chrissy drew her card for her draw phaze and tried not to moan when she saw Black Luster Ritual... a magic card that was totally useless to her right now.

Gurimo laughed. "You triggered my trap card, Hand Virus! Now you must discard one card from your hand each turn!"

She felt her teeth grit together as she discarded her Dark Magician with regret. "I'll switch my Kaiser Seahorse from attack to defense mode (1650) and end my turn!"

"This duel is over! I sacrifice two of my Sting monsters and summon Thunder Guardian- Saanga to the field in attack mode!! (3100/2700) I'll have my dragon destroy your Seahorse, and my Guardian destroy your Golem!"

Kaiba's eyes went huge. "Oh, no!! He's going to win the duel!!!"

Mokuba's eyes filled with tears. "CHRISSY-SAN!!!!"

Her face was white, and she cast a quick glance at her hand.

"And now I'll have my last Sting Monster wipe out the rest of your lifepoints!! Your soul is mine!!!"

She let out a cry as the monsters lunged at her. She quickly discarded her Kuriboh in the graveyard and was shocked and relieved when hundreds of little furballs with eyes materialized between her and the monster, saving her lifepoints.

Both Mokuba and Joey fell to their knees in relief. Kaiba and the Pharaoh both sighed in relief. The woman who was dueling looked on the verge of fainting.

"Thank you... Kuriboh... You're on useful furball to have..."

Joey let out a huge breath. "That... was close..."

Hiei stared. "What the hell are those things?"

Yugi seperated from the Pharaoh and looked at him, a little surprised to see that he and the little fire demon were the same height. "He's called Kuriboh. He may be weak, but his special ability will protect your lifepoints if you discard him from your hand to your graveyard, so he's really useful to have in your deck."

Hiei blinked slowly. "Hn. Where did you come from?"

Yugi rubbed the back of his head. "That... will take some time to explain..." Then he was cut off and the two of them turned their attention back to the duel when Gurimo started to speak once more.

"You're only delaying the inevitable! This duel will end in my next turn!! So make your final move!!"

Kaiba frowned. "He's got a good point... Chrissy doesn't have any monsters on the field, and she doesn't have any face down cards to protect herself with either. And he's got two very powerful monsters ready to attack. It's all going to come down to this draw. This turn will determine who wins and who loses the duel."

Chrissy looked back at the deck and the three cards she had in her hand... Milus Radiant, Monster Reborn, and Black Luster Ritual. She drew her card and discarded her Milus Radiant to the graveyard, adhereing to his Hand Virus Trap Card. The card she drew was a magic card called Pot of Greed, which would allow her to draw two more cards. She immediately activated it and took in a deep breath.

'Come on, deck... you've worked for me so far... don't fail me now, please...' she prayed silently.

She drew the two cards and blinked in shock as she stared at the two of them. She examined her opponents side of the field and saw he had no cards face down, so that meant no nasty surprises for her, so...

She felt a smile come to her face, then she turned serious again. "You're right, Gurimo... this duel IS over. But I'm not losing my soul today... YOU are!!"

The Pharaoh stared at her. "Miss?"

She put on her game face. "I activate Monster Reborn, to bring my Kaiser Seahorse back to the field! And then I'll activate this! LIGHTNING VORTEX!! By discarding Black Luster Ritual from my hand, I can destroy every monster on your side of the field!! And now... I activate my Kaiser Seahorses Special ability!! This allows me to use it as a double sacrifice when summoning a light attribute monster with seven or more stars!! And that will let me summon THIS!! My BLUE EYES WHITE DRAGON!!!!"

All jaws dropped and the duelists all felt their eyes go huge. "SHE HAS A BLUE EYES WHITE DRAGON?!" Kaiba shouted in total shock.

Gurimo looked on in horror. "NO!!! PLEASE!!!!"

She frowned. "You started this, and I'm ending it!! Blue Eyes White Dragon!! Attack with White Lightning!!!"

The man let out a horrified cry as his lifepoints were reduced to zero. The Seal then retracted around him and a stream of green energy lifted into the sky, sucking his soul from him. Then he slumped over, unconscious.

Chrissy let out a massive sigh of relief as she fell to her knees, trembling. "I... won... I actually... won..." Then she winced and held her side in pain.

The Pharaoh was at her side in an instant. "Miss!! Are you all right?!"

Joey was there as well. He had a huge grin on his face. "Chrissy, you're a natural!! Ya whooped him good! Whatta duel!!"

Kaiba was still staring in shock, having seen the Blue Eyes White Dragon in her deck.

Chrissy managed a small smile, her features turning flushed. "I... think I'm okay... but... I'm just going to... faint now..." She simply slumped forward, Joey quickly catching her.

"MISS!!"

Joey gulped and felt her forehead. "Aw, man! She's burning up!"

Inuyasha knelt at their side. "It's probably all the stress she's been under. This world hasn't been too nice to her. Between almost getting eaten by a demonic centipede, almost getting sliced to pieces by a wind demon, falling off a cliff and almost losing her soul, it's not too surprising she'd be getting stressed out."

Naruto was over by the unconscious man, a frown on his face. "What do we do with this jerk?"

Inuyasha snarled and got to his feet, pulling his sword out of his sheath. "I have a few ideas..."

Kagome frowned. "SIT BOY!!!"

To everyone's shock, the beads around his neck flared and he did a faceplant into the dirt. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!"

She frowned at him, her hands on her hips. "You're NOT killing him, Inuyasha! Just leave him be! He lost his soul, so it's not like he can hurt anyone anymore!"

Hiei smirked. "Yeah... just leave him here for the demons and monsters to feast on. That's what he deserves if you ask me."

Kurama stepped toward where Yugi and Joey were seated. "Here. Let me have a look at her."

They moved aside as the kitsune knelt by the unconscious girl. He examined her carefully. "Stress and exhaustion. She should be all right with some rest." He looked down at the girl. "I think we should get her out of here. She's had more than enough excitement for one day."

Pharaoh nodded. "Yes."

The now large group of people moved out, making introductions as they went, and several people being happily reunited. Kurama, Kuwabara and Botan with Hiei... Kaiba, Mokuba, the Egyptians and Joey with Yugi and Tea... Koga and Inuyasha with Kagome and Shippo... and Naruto with Sakura and Kakashi.

_YIKES!! That was a Loooong Chappie!! Please tell me what you thought... did you like it? Hate it? Let me know! I need reviews!!! R&R!!!!_


	9. Chapter 9

_Okay, here's chapter nine._

_I own nothing but my own characters... Chrissy, Kirsten, and Tearra. Please, Read and Review._

Tristan, Rock Lee, Yusuke, Sango and Kaylalla entered the clearing, where they saw a man lying unconscious on the ground. Tristan leaped off the Demon Fire Cat almost before it even touched down and raced to the man's side. "Good. I don't know him, but he's wearing an Oricalchos stone. That means he's a bad guy. Looks like he lost the duel. I wonder who beat him?"

Tristan nodded and held up a card that was lying at his side. "Yup. See?" In behind the seal they could see the man, his face twisted in terror, trapped within the card.

Sango blinked. "Weird... I haven't seen anything like that before..." She was cut off when Kaylalla growled slightly and turned. Sango held her giant boomerang ready when four boys who looked exactly alike leaped through the trees, carring people on their backs. When the boys landed and set their cargo down, three of them vanished in puffs of smoke, leaving one.

Sango, Lee and Tristan all smiled.

"MIROKU!!!"

"SASUKE!!!"

"RYU!!!!"

Tristan raced up to a white haired boy. "Man, is it good to see you! So you saw the seal too, huh?"

He nodded. "Yes. The spirit in my item detected it first, and then we saw it descending from the sky. Who was dueling?"

"We don't know. We just got here. Someone won, and the bad guy's lying over there," he said, pointing at the unconscious figure.

Miroku looked at Ryu. "You said that whoever lost the duel would lose their soul?"

He nodded. "Yes. The Seal of Oricalchos will not leave the field until someone's lifepoints hit zero, and will leave with the losers soul."

The monk stepped up to the man and crouched at his side. His eyes went wide, seeing the card. "You're right! He is nothing more than a souless vessel now!"

Rin came forward slowly. "So... he's not going to wake up?"  
Tristan frowned. "Not unless we can put a stop to Dartz."

Tearra blinked. "Weird. I've never heard of a card sealing your soul before..."

Once again, they were cut off when Kaylalla turned and let a small growl rise in her throat, as more figures leaped into the scene. This time they were riding on several identical boys with red hair, dark circles around their eyes, and a huge container on each of their backs. Again, as soon as the passengers were set down safely, three of them vanished in a puff of smoke, causing another reunion.

A blonde girl's eyes went huge and she charged forward. "TEARRA!!!"

"KIRSTEN!!!!" The two of them almost bowled one another over.

"DUKE!!" Tristan and Ryu said in relief.

"HEY!! Finally, I find someone!!"

Sango and Miroku looked on with Rin in shock. "K... Kikyo?"

The others turned in shock. "WHAT?! I THOUGHT YOU SAID KIKYO WAS DEAD?!" Sango and Miroku's travel companions said as one.

The beautiful woman nodded silently. "I am. I was killed fifty years ago. My body is a poppet of sticks and mud, given a soul. That is all that allows me to walk among the living."

Yusuke didn't seem to care either way. He gave a huge smile to the one person he knew. "Yo! Koenma!"

The Otherworld second in command sighed and gave him a wave. "Hi, Yusuke."

Duke looked at the man lying on the ground and his features set. "So, that's one of Dartz's men, huh? Who did he duel against?"

Tristan and Ryu shrugged. "We don't know. Whoever it is has moved on."

Tearra looked at Kirsten. "Have you seen Chrissy?"

The blonde shook her head, a sad expression on her face. "Maybe she was here and we just missed her or something."

Tearra sighed. "We can hope."

Miroku whirled. "A powerful demonic aura is approaching! Be on guard!"

The fighters taking positions in the front, the normal humans quickly stayed back and held their breath, as a tall figure with flowing white hair and a VERY handsom face stepped from the forest, a small ugly green form at his side.

Looking around the group, Rin blinked and then broke out into a huge smile. "LORD SESSHOMARU!!! MASTER JAGEN!!" She raced from behind her friends and raced to the demon and his servant.

The little green man breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Rin!! You're safe! Thank goodness!"

She nodded, a smile on her face. "Uh huh! These nice people all took care of me!"

Sesshomaru gazed cooly down at the little human girl, just a hint of fondness coming into his expression, before looking back at the others. "The monk... and demon slayer."

Miroku nodded to him, relaxing his stance only slightly. "Greetings, Sesshomaru. Do you intend to bring trouble, or can we safely drop our guard?"

He looked at them cooly. "We are all in the same situation, and so I will allow a truce between us until we have returned to our own world. You and Inuyasha have nothing to fear from me... For now. And besides, we should not fight amongst ourselves when Naraku is here as well."

Miroku and Sango's eyes went wide. "NARAKU IS HERE?!"

He nodded calmly. "I picked up his scent yesterday, but I lost it in the mountains east of here this morning. And I saw the strange disturbance in this region a short time ago and came to investigate." He sniffed the air. "Inuyasha was here. So was that Wolf Demon, Koga. I also smell a fire demon and three Kitsune's."

Rock Lee, Sasuke, and Gaara exchanged a look. "Naruto must have been here. He has the spirit of a nine tailed fox sealed within him!" said Rock.

Sango nodded. "One of the other fox demons must have been Shippo."

Yusuke grinned. "And I'll just bet that the third was Kurama!"

Sesshomaru frowned thoughtfully. "There were also many humans here as well. Over ten of them." He looked at the unconscious human lying nearby on the ground. "What is it that has happened here?"

Tristan, Duke and Ryu stepped forward. "I guess we'll have to explain that," Duke said. "The three of them went into Dartz and Duel Monsters, and the Seal of Oricalchos.

He nodded when they were finished. "I will travel with you and we will find the one responsible for bringing us here." He turned to the unconscious man. "Turn away, Rin," he said calmly, holding up a finger and allowing an energy whip to come into sight.

Miroku rushed forward. "Sesshomaru! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

The demon looked at him calmly. "This man attempted to steal someone's soul. Here he is, now helpless. Would you rather I leave him to rot?"

Duke and Tristan paled a little. "Okay... that guy's kinda scary..."

Kirsten blinked. "Just KINDA?"

Tearra, however, was looking on with a wide grin on her face. "He's... so COOL!!!!"

Even Ryu looked at her with a shocked expression. "You're nuts," they said as one.

Sesshomaru looked at them all and then simply allowed his whip to retract once more. "Very well. Who am I to care if a human suffers? Let's go."

Sango and Miroku sighed collective sighs of relief. Then the demon slayer looked at the small cat on her shoulder. "Kaylalla! Find Inuyasha!"

The cat gave a little mew, jumping off her shoulder and transforming into her adult form, taking several of the newcomers by surprise. Then Sango mounted the beast, Miroku getting on behind her and they all set out, following the cat.

-----------------------------------------------------

Kurama carried the sleeping woman in his arms as they continued on their way. They walked for a few hours before they decided they had best rest for the night. Kurama offered to stay with Chrissy to keep an eye on her, checking her temperature and using his plants to heal her injuries.

Yugi and the Pharaoh both came over, kneelingby where Kurama was seated beside the girl. "How's she doing?" asked the former.

Kurama smiled at the two of them. "Her fever is going down. I think she needed this rest. She should be fine."

The Pharaoh smiled in relief. "Good. She should not have been forced to endure that hardship. But luckily, she was strong enough to defeat Gurimo in the duel."

"I'm still wondering," Kaiba said as he approached, Mokuba at his side, "how she got a Blue Eyes White Dragon in her deck!" He looked at her arm. "Where's her duel disk and deck anyway?"

Kurama smiled. "Ishizu helped me take it off her earlier." He picked up a bundle of cloth. "It's wrapped in this."

Kaiba was very tempted to take the satchel and grab her deck, but knew he would never get away with it if Yugi and the Pharaoh were standing there, for one, and for another, despite the fact that he didn't know Chrissy that well, he knew it wasn't directly HER fault she had one of his cards in her deck. He would just talk to her about it later.

Inuyasha came forward then, and blinked, smelling the girl. "Huh? Strange... she smells... different somehow now..."

Shippo came up to him. "What do you mean she smells different?" He smelled her. "Well, she smells a little funny, but she still smells like a human..."

Inuyasha shook his head. "I mean she smells different from earlier. Maybe that weird duel circle seal thing did something to her."

Kurama blinked and looked up at him. "She does still have a fever. Maybe you're picking up on that."

He blinked. "I guess that could be it..." He shrugged. "Whatever." Then he blinked, seeing Koga holding Kagome's hand in his own on the other side of the encampment. He snarled. "Excuse me... I've gotta go on a Wolf hunt..."

Shippo looked up at Kurama. "So... she's going to be okay?"

He nodded, a gentle smile on his face. "Yes. She will be just fine."

Mokuba sighed in relief. "That's good. She hasn't even come across any of her friends yet. It's no wonder all the stress is getting to her. She's stuck in the middle of all this with a bunch of people she hardly knows. And she doesn't have any power to defend herself. She has to depend on other people."

Hinata approached Kurama, holding a bundle of herbs. "I found some more herbs, if you should need them," she said in her shy manner."

He smiled at her and accepted the bundle. "Thank you very much, Hinata."  
She blinked shyly. "Um... have you seen Naruto?"

He nodded. "I believe I saw him talking with Joey and those kind people with the dark skin on the other side of the encampment."

She nodded. "Thank you," she said as she bustled off.

Only moments after Hinata had gone to find her crush, Chrissy let out a small moan and opened her eyes slowly, blinking when she saw Kurama's handsom but unfamiliar face smiling down at her.

"Well, you're certainly having a run of bad luck... or should I consider it good luck since you're still with us?"

She blinked again. "Are you with that other group that showed up while I was dueling Gurimo? The Pharaoh's group?"

He nodded, a gentle smile playing on his lips. "Yes. My name is Kurama, and I am a fox demon in human form. I used my abilities to heal your injuries. How do you feel?"

She took a deep breath and sat up slowly, allowing him to give her a hand. "I'm just a little stiff... and I have a headache. Other than that, I feel fine."

She blinked in surprise when a tiny form jumped onto her lap. "That's good! I was getting worried!"

Chrissy looked at him for a moment and then fingered a fluffly tail attached to the boy's backside. "Um... is this a tail?"

He grinned and nodded. "Yup! I'm a kitsune. My name is Shippo. I'm friends with Inuyasha."

She couldn't help but smile at his cuteness. "It's nice to meet you, Shippo. My name is Chrissy, but I have a feeling you already knew that."

He grinned and nodded. "Yup."

Then she heard a cry off to her left. "Hey, she's awake!"

Turning, she saw Mokuba, Kaiba, aYugi and the Pharaoh approaching her. Mokuba gave her a hug immediately. "I'm so happy you're okay, Chrissy-san! I was worried about you!"

Kaiba said nothing, having his arms crossed as he looked down at her cooly.

The Pharaoh knelt down to her level. "Are you feeling well?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I feel much better now."

Yugi smiled at her. "You did an awesome job in that duel! That last move you made was totally awesome!"

Kaiba took this time to clear his throat. "Speaking of that last move... I still want to know how the hell she wound up with a Blue Eyes White Dragon in her deck! I own the only three in existence!"

The Pharaoh looked at him, his face set in a frown. "Kaiba..."

The CEO snorted. "Relax, Pharaoh. I'm not going to try stealing it, but if I ever get my deck back, I intend to get it from her!"

Chrissy blinked. "You want that dragon I played in my last turn?" She shrugged. "We don't even have Duel Monsters in my world, so how about this... just let me hang onto the one I have in my deck for now, and I'll just give it to you before me and my friends return to our own world? I won't need it there, but I might still need it here. Does that sound okay to you?"

Kaiba's eyes widened, as did the others. "You would... give it to me?"

She shrugged. "Sure, why not? Like I said, we don't have Duel Monsters in my world, so there's no real point in my keeping it when I get back." She looked around herself a moment. "Where is my deck and that... what did you guys call it? A duel disk?"

Kurama smiled gently and unwrapped the package and removed the deck, the Pharaoh and Yugi kneeling at her side to have a look at her cards for themselvse. Shippo jumped up on her shoulders to have a look for himself, blinking curiously as he looked at the illustrations.

Yugi smiled broadly, spotting a card. "You have the Dark Magician! He's my favorite card!"

Chrissy smiled. "Really? I actually had him in my hand and was trying to figure out a way to get him onto the field before Gurimo decided to summon that Black Demon's Dragon."

The King of Games smiled at her. "If you like, I could give you a few pointers when it comes to dueling in case you should have to do it again."

She blinked again, and then smiled wider. "Really? That'd be awesome! I just hope that if I DO wind up dueling again, that it'll be without that weird Ori-whatchyamacallit magic card."

Yugi chuckled. "The Seal of Oricalchos?"

She nodded. "Yeah, that's the one. I think I've had enough stress staying here without almost losing my soul."

The Pharaoh nodded. "Yes. Inuyasha has told us much of what has happened to you. And Kaiba informed us of how he first met you."

At that moment, they heard the hanryu yelling on the other side of the clearing. "Don't tell me you actually LIKE that creep?!"

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Oh, grow up, Inuyasha! We're friends! Besides, you have to admit that Koga has helped us out against Naraku many times in the past!"

"You mean he's gotten in my way! I could have handled those times on my own! Half the time, I'm the one who winds up rescuing him!"

She sighed. "Please... my little brother's more mature..."

Inuyasha humphed, crossed his arms, and turned his back to her. "Well, if that's the way you feel... I guess Kikyo's cuter anyway..."

Kagome's expression went flat. "What?"

"... not to mention she's much more refined, and has a bigger rack..."

Kagome snapped. "SIT BOY!! SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT!!!!!!!!"

With each word that came out of her mouth, the necklace around Inuyasha's neck flared and before they knew it, the half demon was lying face down in a crater.

Shippo sighed and shook his head. "THAT he had coming..."

Chrissy blinked. "You said it..."

Hiei seemed to appear out of nowhere at their side. "That guy really is an idiot, isn't he?"

Shippo sighed and nodded. "He is... but he really DOES like Kagome. I think they fight so much to show their affection."

Chrissy rubbed the back of her head. "That's sweet... I think..." She looked back at Inuyasha who was still lying face down in the crater. "You'd think they wouldn't fight what with everything they've been through together..."

Shippo shrugged. "They have their moments. But Inuyasha can be a real idiot..."

The Pharaoh chuckled. "Well... getting back to the deck..."

Chrissy listened intently to several pointers that they gave her, and as they clarified several rules of the game. They explained the advantages that the Seal of Oricalchos gave to her opponents, since all of Dartz' henchmen possessed one.

About an hour into their discussion, Joey and Naruto approached them. It was pretty obvious that they were becoming fast friends. "Hey, there! What's up?"

Yugi smiled at him. "We're giving Chrissy a few pointers on dueling in case she has to do it again."

Joey grinned broadly. "Really? It's too bad none of us have our decks, or we'd be able to give her a few practice duels."

Chrissy looked down at herself and grimaced. "Um... not to change the subject or anything, but... are there any lakes nearby? I could really use a bath."

Koga snorted, coming up to them, Kagome in tow. "You almost lost your soul and you're worried about getting yourself cleaned?"

She frowned at him. "I'm covered in dirt and blood, and my hair hasn't been washed in almost a week! My trip in the river does NOT classify as a bath!" She looked at Kagome. "Do you have any shampoo and soap?"

She nodded and gave her a smile. "Sure! It's in my bag. I could use a bath my self... and a change of clothes."

Chrissy looked down at herself again, taking in the tears and holes in her clothes now. I wish I had another change of clothes myself. I don't think yours would fit me, though..."

She smiled. "I might be able to find something. I have a shirt that's loose in the chest area on me, so it might fit you. And do you mind skirts? That's all I really have with me."

She scowled slightly. "I guess I could live with it. I'll just try to mend my pants when I get the things washed and dried."

Koga snorted. "Well, there's a hot spring over that way... just a few yards into the trees," he said, pointing over his shoulder.

Sakura, Ishizu, Tea, Hinata and Botan seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"Did I hear something about a bath?" Sakura asked.

Tea grimaced, looking down at her own clothes. "I know I could use one. You mind if you have some more company?"

Chrissy and Kagome smiled. "Sounds like a plan! I've been wanting to have some time with just the girls for a while anyway. I was starting to go nuts, being stuck with guys all the time." Chrissy cast a glance at the males in her presence. "No offense."

Yugi and the Pharaoh simply smiled and shrugged, while Kaiba just grunted and closed his eyes, his arms crossed.

At that moment, Inuyasha made his way to his feet, his expression less than impressed. "Kagome..." he growled.

The girl yelped a little, grabbing Chrissy and dragging her to her feet. "Hey, Inuyasha! I'd stay and chat, but we girls are gonna have a bath! Don't even think of following me or you'll get so many sit commands you..."

The necklace flared and he did another faceplant.

She winced. "Let's go..."

Chrissy's hand was over her mouth, trying to conceal her smile, while Joey and Naruto roared with laughter.

The girl's all vanished into the trees, Kagome hauling her enormous backpack.

_Yippee!! Chapter nine is UP!! In the next chapter, the girls bath... what do they wind up talking about...? BOYS OF COURSE!!! R&R!!!!_


	10. Chapter 10

_Kay!! Chapter ten is up!! The girls are in the hot spring!!_

_And no, I own nothing... except my own characters._

Minutes later, the girls were all happily soaking in the hot spring, working on cleaning themselves.

Chrissy sighed happily. "Ah... this feels much better."

Ishizu nodded, working the shampoo into her hair. "Yes... I have been looking for an opportunity to do this for the last couple of days."

The others all nodded in agreement.

Kagome smiled. "So... what should we talk about?"

Chrissy grinned broadly. "Men. What else?"

Ishizu smiled gently. "In other words... potential love interests? Such as Kagome and her relationship with Inuyasha?"

The girl blushed furiously. "What about it?! Inuyasha's loud, rude and can't seem to decide if he wants to be with me or Kikyo!"

Chrissy blinked. "Kikyo? But I thought she was dead?"

She nodded. "She is, but she was resurrected by a demon who tried to enslave her. She's back, but all she really is is a poppet of sticks and mud, given a soul. Ever since she was brought back from the dead, Inuyasha's been indecisive."

Ishizu shrugged. "I would not worry about it. There is a place where all dead souls must eventually go, and Kikyo will go there as well herself one day. You are her reborn. It is merely her presence that causes his confusion."

Chrissy shrugged. "Yeah. And even if it doesn't work out between you and Inuyasha, you always have Koga to fall back on."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Don't get me wrong, Koga's a nice guy and all, but he's way too pushy. He's always trying to convince me to be his mate and is constantly fighting with Inuyasha over me. To tell you the truth, I sometimes wish he'd get another love interest." Then she grinned and looked at Hinata. "And what about you? I've noticed you hanging around Naruto alot, there..."

The girl blushed and looked down shyly. "Yes... I do like Naruto. But unfortunately, Naruto likes Sakura..."

The pink haired girl glowered. "The feelings are NOT mutual! I'm for Sasuke! Besides, Naruto is too loud and annoying for my tastes! Not to mention that demon he has sealed in him makes him very dangerous."

Chrissy blinked. "Demon?"

She nodded. "Yes. Seventeen years ago, our village was attacked by a nine tailed fox demon, and the Hokage, or village leader at the time, sealed it within Naruto. The procedure could only be done with an infant who's umbelical cord had not yet healed. I do kinda have to feel sorry for him, though. I mean, he didn't have any choice in the matter, and all the villagers shunned him for many years because of it, even though he wasn't even aware of it himself until recently. That's why he's so determined to get stronger. He wants to be come the village Hokage himself one day so the people will have to respect him."

Chrissy smiled. "Aw, poor guy." She looked at Hinata. "Hearing that, I can understand why you have a thing for him."

Sakura sighed. "The only problem is that, whenver Naruto is overcome with rage, the demon awakens and he becomes completely uncontrolable. His power is beyond measure when that happens." Then she looked at Ishizu. "How about you? Any love interests?"

The Egyptian woman shook her head. "Not at this time." She smiled at Tea. "But I believe Tea may have something for a young man by the name of Yugi..."

Tea blushed furiously. "Okay... I admit it. It started as just being friends, but I do have a bit of a crush on him..."

Chrissy was working the shampoo into her own hair when Ishizu turned her attention to her. "And what about you, Chrissy? Have you got your eye on anyone?"

She blinked and seemed to think for a moment. "I dunno... If you're talking from my own world, then no for sure. Guys don't really take notice of me there, to tell you the truth..."

Tea smiled. "But what about the guys that are HERE? I mean, you're surrounded by cute eligable bachelors..."

She blinked again. "Well... let me think for a moment."

Sakura smiled. "You have lots of options... There's Kaiba, Marik, the Pharaoh, Joey, Hiei, Kurama, Kakashi-sensei, and Kuwabara..."

She shrugged. "Well, it's not like I can have any real relationships with the guys here since I'm from a completely different world than everyone else here, but..." She seemed to think again. "Okay..." She started counting off the names bachelors off on her fingers. "I don't know Kuwabara nearly enough to decide if I like him or not right now. I haven't even spoken to him once yet."

Botan shrugged. "He's got a thing for a girl back home named Yukina anyway. He hasn't shown any interest in other girls since he first layed eyes on her."

All the other girls immediately let out a series of 'Aaaawwwws' hearing this. They smiled, thinking of a man who was that devoted to a woman.

She thought a moment. "Like Kuwabara, I don't know Kakashi well enough to place any judgements of like or dislike yet. And I don't even know what he looks like." She looked at Sakura. "Is he cute under that mask of his?"

She shrugged. "I have no idea. All attempts to see him without the mask have been in vain. But Kakashi-sensei is a really nice, smart, funny and STRONG guy."

Chrissy grinned. "Okay, I'll keep that in mind." She continued her count off. "Kurama... Way gorgeous, polite, sweet, and since he told me he's a fox demon, he's probably way strong."

Botan grinned at her. "You think he's cute now... if you ever see him in his demon form, you'll trip over yourself to be his girlfriend. He's got long silver hair, golden eyes, and a body to die for. Not to mention the fox ears and tail make him look all the better."

She grinned again. "Hmmmm... I wonder if he'd show me. That sounds like some seriously yummy man..."

The girls all laughed, nodding in agreement.

Chrissy cleared her throat and continued to count off the potential men. "Hiei... he's cute and really strong, but he seems to be the kind of guy who likes to keep to himself. I don't think he's interested in girls... and that third eye's kinda creepy. Joey's... a lot like Naruto, and he's got a bottomless pit for a stomach. He's really funny and cute, but I don't think he's quite my type."

Tea smiled. "He's got a love interest of his own, anyway. A really beautiful blonde duelist named Mai."

Chrissy couldn't help but grin. "Lucky girl." She held up a finger, indicating a pause as she dunked her head beneath the water to wash out the shampoo that was in her hair. When sh e resurfaced, she sighed in relief and leaned against the edge of the hot spring. She continued where she'd left off.

"The Pharaoh... gotta admit, he seems really nice, is cute, has awesome hair and..." she grinned a little... "a totally sexy voice..."

The others all grinned and nodded in agreement.

"But I don't know if he's interested in having any sort of a relationship with anyone. Then... Marik..." She smiled. "He's really cute and sweet..."

Ishizu smiled. "You do not know this, but his lips have actually touched yours."

Her eyes went huge and she almost fell over in the water. "WHAT?! WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN?!"

Hinata smiled shyly from where she sat in the water. "When we first came across you on the river bank, you were not breathing, so Marik performed CPR on you. He put his lips to yours to allow you to breathe again."

Ishizu nodded, smiling as Chrissy turned bright red hearing this. "Ever since that time, whenever he looks at you, his face turns a little red."

She cleared her throat and shook off her embarrassment. "Well, then I guess he's a definite possibility... though I'd have to get to know him a little better to know for sure. And then with Kaiba..." She shrugged. "He told me that he has no interest in girls, so I don't think he'd be interested in me."

Tea blinked. "When did he tell you that?"

"After I was hurt by that Centipede Demon. Inuyasha and Kaiba both agreed that they had to check to make sure my ribs weren't broken. Kaiba told me he had no interest in women, so he'd do it."

They stared at her. "You mean... he saw your chest?"

She turned bright red and nodded. "Yes."

Ishizu smiled. "You know, although Kaiba is rather cold in personality, he is still only a man and therefore has the emotions of one. He simply hides them well. For all you know, Kaiba may very well like you. After all, his little brother seems to be quite attached to you. That would be a plus to Kaiba."

Tea nodded. "Yeah. All Kaiba seems to care about is his little brother and his corporation. But with Mokuba liking you so much, maybe Kaiba might like you, too."

Chrissy rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "I don't know why Mokuba likes me so much. I hardly know the kid. Come to think of it, all kids seem to like me. I guess I'm just one of those people."

Kagome looked at her. "Go for Koga. At least if he has an interest in you, he'll stop pushing me to be his mate."

Chrissy snorted. "I'm not much for pushy guys either, no matter how cute they are. Besides, don't wolves mate for life? I think you're stuck with him until he and Inuyasha kill each other."

She sighed. "I forgot about that."

Chrissy took a bar of soap and proceeded to clean off the rest of herself. "I wouldn't worry about it, to tell you the truth. Maybe Koga will find himself a nice girl Wolf and get together with her. Doesn't it make more sense for the leader of the Wolf Tribe to keep his blood line clean, anyway?"

Kagome blinked. "Hey, you're right..."

She smiled. "I'll bet it's just a crush. He'll find himself a pretty wolf lady and forget about trying to take you from Inuyasha."

She sighed. "I hope you're right."

Sakura looked up at the sky. "It's starting to get dark. We should probably get out now."

Chrissy sighed. "I guess I'll just wash and mend my clothes tomorrow."

Kagome climbed out and grabbed a few towels from her bag. "I don't have many towels..." she started.

The other girls didn't seem to be all that concerned as they climbed out. Hinata and Sakura simply used some sort of ninja technique to dry themselves off, so there were enough towels to go around. Then Kagome found a sleeveless button up shirt and a skirt that Chrissy found uncomfortably short, but she supposed it was better than wearing her torn and dirty clothes. When she was finally dressed, she found the shirt a little tight around the chest, but she couldn't complain since she was covered.

Kagome blinked, looking at her after she was dressed. "Wow... you know... you should dress up like that more often..."

She blinked right back. "Huh???"

Ishizu smiled. "Kagome is right. You hide your physical beauty beneath your clothes. You may find yourself getting attention from the boys yet."

Kagome sighed. "I'd love to have legs like that..."

Chrissy turned bright red. "Um... okay..." She tugged the skirt down a little. It didn't even come to half way between her hips and her knees. "The skirt seems too short for my tastes, to tell you the truth..."

She smiled. "You get used to it. But we should be headed back. I'll bet they have food ready by now."

In that instant, Chrissy realized just how famished she was. "I hope they've got a lot. There's a hell of a lot of people here now, and with Joey and Naruto, there won't be much to go around."

The girls headed back to the camp, Chrissy starting to shiver from the cold of the oncoming night. She immediately took a seat by one of the two campfires that the men had set up while the girls were bathing. The warmth didn't help much. She almost crossed her legs, then remembered how short her skirt was, and just sat with her legs beneath her but, and rubbed her arms to try and kep warm. It didn't help much, and her hair was still wet which wasn't helping matters.

She blinked when she felt someone place a jacket over her shoulders. "Here. Wear my jacket," said a familiar voice. Blinking, she looked up and saw the Pharaoh smiling down at her gently. "We don't want you to get sick after everything else you've been through."

She was surprised to find herself fighting off a blush. "Um... thanks."

He nodded. "Koga and Kakashi went out in search of food. They should be back soon."

She sighed in relief. "Thank God... I'm starving."

The Pharaoh took a seat next to her. Chrissy briefly looked around the encampment and saw Yugi talking to Inuyasha, Naruto and Joey by a large tree not far from where they were sitting.

The Pharaoh cast a glance at her. "You... have not yet come across any of your friends?"

She shook her head. "No," she said quietly. Remembering some of her own experiences thus far, she desperately hoped that they were okay and felt a small shudder go through her.

Chrissy felt a hand on her shoulder and found the Pharaoh smiling at her gently. "I'm sure you will come across them soon."

She sighed. "God, I hope you're right."

Koga and Kakashi took that moment to show up. Chrissy and the Pharaoh moved aside so the Wolf Demon would have room to cook a giant wild boar he had found. In the meantime, Marik, Ishizu, and Odion moved from the other fire, making room for Kakashi to start cooking the numerous fish he had caught.

Chrissy was now leaning against a log, and she rubbed her eyes when she felt an oncoming ache behind them.

The Pharaoh looked at her. "Are you all right?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I'm just tired. Between falling off a cliff and almost losing my soul, it's been a long day."

His expression turned concerned. "Would you like to rest until it's time to eat? I could wake you once the food is prepared..."

She shook her head. "I'll be okay. I'm still just a little stiff. I got banged up in the river, and then being thrown into the wall of that seal didn't help. I'm not hurting or anything... just stiff. I might take another soak in that hotspring before we leave tomorrow. It should help."

"If there is anything you need..." he started.

She shook her head again. "All I need is a nice filling meal, and a good night of sleep."

"That makes two of us. I'm really tired myself," said a voice off to the side. Looking over, they saw the little fox demon, Shippo, approaching, rubbing his eyes sleepily. He immediately jumped up on Chrissy's lap. "Do you mind if I rest on you until it's time to eat?"

She blushed immediately and scooped him up in her arms. "Go right ahead, Shippo."

He let out a monster yawn, and nuzzled in close to her.

She was desperately resisting the urge to snuggle him to death. "Kawaii..."

Mokuba grinned, approaching from the other side, his brother right behind him. "He is kinda cute, isn't he? And he's got the feet of a fox, too! Not just the tail. I noticed that earlier."

The little fox was sleeping already, his face absolutely adorable and peaceful.

They talked a little, Kaiba eventually wandering off to another area of the camp, to where Kurama was speaking with Kuwabara, Mokuba quickly following after his big brother. Chrissy and the Pharaoh were joined soon after by Kagome and Inuyasha. It was about an hour after that that the food was finally ready. They ate quickly, and then found different places to try and sleep, Chrissy choosing to lie down by the log she had been leaning against for most of the night.

_Alrighty!! Chapter ten is up!! Yay!! Please, please, please!! R&R!!!_


	11. Chapter 11

_And here is Chapter Eleven!! Many more reunions and a plan of action is hatched!!_

The morning came fairly quickly. Chrissy immediately scooped up her dirty clothes and made her way to the hot springs again and scrubbed her clothes on a flat rock she had found in the forest. Then she laid them out on a stick that was set up by one of the fires so they could dry. She didn't want to wear this skirt any longer than she had to. She just hoped that Kagome had a needle and thread in that enormous backpack of hers.

They only stayed there for an hour when everyone decided to pack up and keep going. Chrissy decided to put the duel disk on her arm along with the deck to save the trouble of hauling it around in that bundle of cloth all the time. It wasn't particularily heavy after all, and she'd still have the use of her hand.

"How are you feeling this morning?" asked a voice off to her side as she was examining the damage done to her clothes. Blinking, she looked up to find Marik looking down at her.

She smiled at him. "Much better. I'm just hoping I can go one day without having a near death experience." Then she blushed a little and cleared her throat. "Um... Ishizu... told me what you did when you found me by the river."

His face immediately turned bright red and his eyes went huge. "Sh... she... d... did?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Thank you."

He rubbed the back of his head. "It... wasn't anything much. I mean... I had to do something to help you..."

She smiled. "Well... it looks like we're just about set to head out." She folded her clothes and put them in a vine satchel that Kurama had made for her and got to her feet.

Marik nodded. "Looks like it. Would you like me to carry your bag for you?"

She shook her head. "Thank you for the offer, but I think I can handle it."

He nodded. "Well... I'm going to head back to my sister and Odion now."

She nodded as the large group started out. Chrissy wound up taking the rear. She made sure she was close to Kakashi, who seemed to be the most powerful non-demon there. She wanted to make sure she was close to someone strong if something happened. She was very much sick and tired of having her life put on the line. She glanced up and saw Hiei easily keeping up with them all up in the trees.

About two hours into their walk, Kakashi's head turned slightly and he looked back at her. Then his eye went wide and he quickly called for a stop, leaping between Chrissy and the forested path behind her. "There is a group of people approaching."

Chrissy wasn't about to take any risks. She was in the middle of the group in no time, standing between Kurama and Kuwabara before anyone could blink. Inuyasha and Koga both sniffed the air, and then as one, the Wolf took up a defensive stance, as the hanryu unsheathed his sword, a scowl on his face.

"Kagome, get behind me! I can smell Sesshomaru! I don't know if he's going to be in one of his 'I wanna kill my half breed brother' moods or not, but we don't wanna take any chances!"

The girl nodded and quickly stepped behind Inuyasha and Koga, while pulling her bow and arrow off her back.

They waited in tense silence for a moment when a tall, majestic and handsom demon with long white hair stepped from the trees, a group of humans right behind him.

Kagome smiled immediately. "Miroku!! Sango!! Kaylalla!!"

Yugi, Tea and Joey smiled as well. "Duke!! Tristan! Ryu!!"

Naruto grinned broadly. "Gaara! Rock!!"

Hearts danced in Sakura's eyes immediately. "SASUKE!!!!"

Kurama's eyes widened and Kuwabara's jaw dropped. "KOENMA?!" the two of them shouted in shock. "Yusuke!!"

As several of the others came forward, Chrissy caught sight of two girls, just as they caught sight of her. "TEARRA!! KIRSTEN!!!!"

"CHRISSY!!!"

The three girls almost bowled each other over in their desperation to get to one another.

But then they all heard Kagome gasp and heard a stunned Inuyasha utter a name that caught all their attention.

"K... Kikyo?"

Shippo gulped from the Pharaoh's shoulder. "Uh... oh... this isn't gonna go over good with Kagome..."

A beautiful woman who bore a striking resemblance to Kagome stepped forward, dressed in the clothes of a priestess. She had a gentle smile on her lips and had a bow and arrows on her back. "Inuyasha. It has been a long time."

The hanryu looked to be at a total loss for words, and Kagome's expression turned to one of dread.

The white haired demon cleared his throat, casting only a half glance at his little half brother and the love triangle that was forming as Kagome seemed to look more stricken with every passing second.

"It seems we have all been reunited. And before you jump to any conclusions, Little Brother, I have decided that for the time being, there will be a truce between the two of us, because we have bigger things to worry about, and I'm not just talking about our current displacement."

Inuyasha shook off his shock at seeing Kikyo and blinked, looking at him. "What do you mean?"

Sesshomaru frowned. "Naraku is here."

THAT got his attention. "NARAKU?! WHERE?! DID YOU SEE HIM?!" he roared.

He shook his head. "I picked up his scent two days ago, but I lost it in the mountains to the South East of here."

Kaiba, Mokuba, Inuyasha, and Hiei started. "THE MOUNTAINS WE WERE IN!!" the four of them said as one.

The half demon snarled. "I have a feeling that that 'earthquake' wasn't a natural force of nature then! It might've been Naraku!"

Chrissy felt a chill run down her spine. "You mean.. that evil psycho... is what caused me to fall from the cliff?"

Inuyasha snarled. "I'd bet on it. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I mean, we WERE attacked by Kagura our first night here, and she's an incarnation of his."

Tearra and Kirsten looked at their friend. "YOU FELL OFF A CLIFF?!"

The girl sighed and held up a hand. "You don't know the HALF of it, trust me."

Kirsten blinked. "Um... Chrissy... what's that thing you're wearing on your wrist?"

The girl sighed again. "I'll get into EVERYTHING later. I just hope to hell that this world's been nicer to you than it has been to me."

A little girl that stood beside Sesshomaru blinked, looking at the new group. "Oh! There's someone here my age!!" She ran forward and came right up to Mokuba, smiling as she held out a hand. "Hi! My name is Rin!"

Mokuba blinked and then smiled right back. "I'm Mokuba! And this is my big brother, Seto. It's nice to meet you, Rin."

Hiei looked at them all. "Is anyone missing? At least anyone that you know of?"

They all exchanged several dozen looks before everyone shook their heads as one.

The fire demon crossed his arms. "Alright. So, now that we're all together, what do we do now?"

Several looks were exchanged once again.

"Good question," Chrissy said. "I mean, we're all together, but we still have no idea how we got here or how the hell to get back to our own worlds."

Kakashi thought a moment. "Maybe we should split up again. Form some groups and scope out the landscape... see if we can't find anything that might be helpful. And if someone finds something, they could unleash a signal of some sort to alert the others."

Inuyasha nodded. "That would mean there would have to be a powerful demon in each group. That way, we could send out an obvious signal of some kind. Also, we should try to make it so each group has an equal amount of power to keep the weaker of us safe."

Kirsten blinked. "Okay... so how do we decide who goes with who?"

Miroku looked at her. "You three are the only ones you know of who were dragged here from your world, right?"

They nodded as one." Yeah..." they said, not sure where this was going.

"And you said that in all the time you've been in your world, that you have never experienced anything one would deem unusual, or encountered any powerful creatures of your own?"

They exchanged another look and nodded. "That's right," Chrissy said. "This whole being dragged to another world and coming across demons and monsters is totally new to us."

Miroku nodded. "Then I recommend three groups... each with one of you in it. It would make it easier for those in the groups to keep you safe and calm."

They all blanched. "You mean we should split up again?!"

He nodded again. "I believe that would be the best course of action. The three of you have no experience at all in dealing with monsters and it would be easier to keep one of you calm then all three should something excessively dangerous occur."

Kirsten looked hesitant. "Well... I guess that makes sense..."

Chrissy nodded. "And at least this time we know that the others aren't out there by themselves..."

Tearra shrugged. "Works for me. So who goes with us?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I've been with Tearra from the beginning, so I'll be in her group."

Sakura smiled. "Where Sasuke goes, I go!!"

The Pharaoh and Yugi exchanged a look. "I think we should go with Chrissy," Yugi said. "She has that duel disk and deck, and if she gets into another duel, she might need some help."

The Pharaoh nodded. "I agree."

Joey grinned. "I ain't bein' seperated from my bestest buddy again! I'm there too!"

Miroku stepped up to Kirsten and held her hands in his own. "I would hate to be seperated from this fair haired beauty, so I shall travel with her."

Kirsten turned bright read, while Tearra started to glower at the monk. Before she could say anything, however, Sango appeared behind him, her aura flaring dangerously. "MONK!!!" Miroku suddenly found himself with a giant boomerange upside his head. "Where you go, I go, because someone has to keep you in line!!" she growled.

Kakashi looked at the set up so far. "So, Kirsten's got a demon fire cat, a monk and a demon slayer, Tearra has two elite chunin ninja's, and Chrissy has two boys, three if you include the Pharaoh."

Naruto grinned. "Guess I'll go with Joey!"

Hinata blushed slightly. "I'll go in Chrissy's group as well."

Ryu smiled. "I will stay with Tearra." he said, stepping up to her.

Kikyo looked at him. "I am intrigued by the spirit I sense in your item. Would you allow me to travel with you as well?"

He smiled. "Of course."

Kurama stepped up to Kirsten wordlessly, making his choice.

Koenma came forward. "I would like to remain with you, Kurama."

Botan immediately rushed after him. "I'm not being seperated from my boss again!!"

Hiei stepped forward. "I'll stick with Chrissy. The way her luck's been running, she should probably have a strong demon with her."

Kakashi cleared his throat. "I should stick close to Naruto... to keep him out of trouble."

Yusuke and Kuwabara exchanged a look and then joined Tearra's group.

Rock Lee and Gaara both agreed to be with Kirsten's group.

Marik, Ishizu and Odion exchanged a few looks and nodded as one. "We would like to remain in the company of the Pharaoh," Ishizu said and the three of them stood with Chrissy's group.

Kaiba looked a little indecisive for a moment, his gaze flickering from Chrissy to Yugi and Joey, and then went to Tearra, Mokuba right on his heels.

Duke shrugged and followed his example.

Tea went up to Kirsten, giving her a smile, Tristan following suit.

Kagome didn't say a word, as she stood behind Chrissy, Shippo jumping on her shoulder immediately.

Koga considered for a moment, taking a glance at Kagome, and then he joined Kirsten's group, noting the lack of demons in her group.

Inuyasha looked to be at a total loss, his gaze flickering from Kikyo to Kagome.

The Priestess finally spoke up. "Inuyasha. Go with Kagome."

His eyes went wide. "Wh... what?"

"I would only serve as a distraction to you and a distraction in this situation is something you cannot afford. Stay with Kagome."

The hanryu hesitated a moment longer, and then nodded, joining Chrissy's group.

Sesshomaru nodded. "Rin, Jagen and I will go with Tearra. That should be even enough, and each group has the ability to send out a signal of some sort."

Miroku nodded. "I think we should hold out on leaving until morning. We should all get some rest and try to devise some sort of strategy before we move out."

The others all nodded, the three girls exchanging somewhat wary looks. They still didn't like the thought of being seperated after only now being reunited, but they understood the reasons behind it.

-------------------------------------

As the night was setting in, the three girls went to a secluded corner of the clearing and started to talk.

"This is so weird," Kirsten said. "I mean... everyone seems to think that someone brought us here."

Chrissy and Tearra both nodded as one.

"Yeah," Tearra said. "But who and why?"

The girls were unaware that the Pharaoh and Bakura stood close to them in spirit form, listening to their conversation intently. Also, Sesshomaru, Inuyasha, Hiei, Kurama, Shippo, Jagen and Koga could easily haer their conversation from where they stood.

"My question is," Chrissy started, "why US? I mean, think about it. Everyone else here came from worlds that have..." She shrugged. "You know... demons, spirits, things like that. Even the humans from those worlds have at least ENCOUNTERED strange things. Inuyasha's world is filled with demons and monsters, same with Naruto's and Hiei's. And Yugi and them have the Millennium Items... magical artifacts, two of which house spirits from Ancient Egypt. There is NOTHING like that in our world. Our world is downright boring by comparison. So how come, of all these people, we're here, too? We don't have any special abilities, or any experiences to fall back on. So how come someone would bring US here?"

Kirsten and Tearra exchanged blank looks and then shrugged as one.

"Maybe it was a mistake or something."

Tearra nodded. "That has to be it. I mean, we didn't do anything special. I mean... I work behind the concession in a THEATRE. Kirsten works in a liquor store and you..." She blinked. "What the hell do you do again?"

Chrissy shrugged. "My last job was as a curteosy clerk in a grocery store. I got fired because they said I had a bad attitude with authority," she said quickly.

Kirsten and Tearra blinked. "Bad... attitude with authority? What did you do?" Kirsten asked.

She shrugged. "My manager wanted a blow job and I told him to get bent."

From the other side of the camp, they could hear Hiei and Kurama laught at something or other. Shippo blinked innocently, while Inuyasha, Naruto and Koga almost fell over in shock. Jagen's jaw hit the ground, while Sesshomaru remained impassive.

The Pharaoh was just as shocked and turned bright red. He was thankful Yugi was unable to hear the conversation for himself. At his side, Bakura just roared with laughter.

Kirsten moaned. "TOO MUCH INFORMATION!!!!" she said as Tearra started roaring with laughter.

Chrissy shrugged again. "Hey, you wanted to know. But, getting back to the issue at hand..."

Kirsten nodded, trying to get unwanted images out of her mind. "Right..." she sighed. "Well, what are we supposed to do about this? You know, if I don't get home, my Dad's gonna call up all his old buddies from the military and have them scowering the countryside looking for me. And when we DO get home, what the hell are we supposed to tell everyone? They're going to want to know where we were."

Chrissy paused at that, knowing that no one in their world would believe a story like theirs. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, okay? But right now, we have no choice about this situation. I sure as fuck am not going anywhere on my own, and Miroku did have a point: We three have no clue at all what to expect. If the three of us are together and we see something seriously dangerous and scary as all hell, we'll all completely freak. Apart, it would be easier for them to keep an eye on us... keep us safe, you know? And aside from that... what if there ARE more people from our world here? It would be better if we split up. There's a better chance of coming across them that way."

Kirsten nodded. "I guess. But I sure wish we know who brought us here and if it was a mistake or not."

Chrissy shrugged. "Well, we're not gonna figure that one out today."

Tearra sighed. "Yeah... so I guess there's no point in dwelling on it." Then she let out a small moan. "It sucks, though... I'm gonna be fired for sure. I only booked off the week."

Kirsten sighed. "Me too, but what're ya gonna do?" Then she let out a yawn. "I'm getting tired." She lookd up and was surprised to see that it was totally dark, except for the fires. She gave her friends a sheepish smile. "Well, if we're moving out tomorrow, I guess we had better get some sleep now."

Chrissy noddd. "Yeah. We'll learn what the others decided in the morning. Let's just turn in."

The three girls set up places close to one another that night, and fell asleep, feeling strangely more secure since finding the others.

_Okay!! There's chapter eleven!! R&R, everyone!!!!_


	12. Chapter 12

_Chapter Twelve is up!! Please, read and review!!_

In the morning, the girls were informed of the plans, which mostly involved walking around the countryside in their assigned groups and trying to find answers. But they decided on which direction each group would be going in... Chrissy's group was going to continue North, Kirsten's was going to head East, and Tearra's was going to head west.

They all agreed to return to this place in two weeks time to report what, if anything, they had found. The three girls briefly gave each other hugs goodbye, before joining up with their groups and they started off.

About two hours into their walk, Chrissy looked at Kagome while she was fidgeting in her borrowed clothing. "How the hell do you walk in skirts this short? If a sudden wind picked up, people'd see everything!"

Naruto, Kakashi, Joey and Marik all silently wished for a strong wind to pick up in that instant.

Kagome smiled. "You just get used to it. I've never had THAT happen to me. Besides, my school uniform is shorter than the skirt you're wearing now. Don't your school uniforms have a skirt?"

Chrissy shook herhead. "I've never had to wear a school uniform, for one, and for another, I'm not in school anymore. I graduated already. I'm not a girl who likes dresses and skirts... the only time I usually wear them is if they're down to the floor."

The reincarnated priestess shrugged. "Well, I've had to wear school uniforms since I was a kid. I guess I just got used to the short skirts and even kinda got to like them."

The girl at her side scowled slightly as she tried to pull the skirt down a teeny bit more without giving anyone a free show. "No chance of that happening for me..."

Kagome gave her a sheepish smile. "I wish I had some sewing supplies for you in my bag, but I don't. To make it up to you, how would you like some instant noodles when we stop for a rest? In Japan, we call it Ramen..."

Naruto's eyes went huge in an instant and he was at her side, his eyes wide and pleading. "Did I just hear you say Ramen? Ramen is my number one favorite food and I've been going totally nuts since we got here because I couldn't have any, but now that I know you have some, can I please have some, Miss Kagome? Pretty, pretty please?!"

She blinked and then smiled. "Sure, why not? I think I can spare two packages."

He broke out into a huge smile immediately and let out a whoop. "Awesome! You're a totally awesome girl, ya know that? Thanks!!"

In that instant, however, Inuyasha stopped in his tracks, his eyes going wide. "Dinners gonna have to wait, kid! Kagome, you're not going to like this..."

She looked up at him. "Inuyasha? What is it?"

"Your little brother's here somewhere. I can smell him."

Her eyes went enormous. "SOTA?! SOTA'S HERE?! CAN YOU SMELL ANYONE ELSE NEAR HIM?!"

He frowned and snifed the air a couple of minutes. "Not that I can smell. He passed by here about a day ago. I can't smell your Mom or Grandpa anywhere, though..."

She was almost frantic. "WELL, LET'S GO FIND HIM!!!!! Sota's only eight years old!! He must be scared out of his mind! If he comes across any demons or monsters, he won't stand a chance!!"

Inuyasha nodded and looked at the others. "We've gotta find her kid brother. I should be able to follow his trail." He crouched down and let Kagome climb onto his back.

Hiei immediately dropped from the trees and crouched before Yugi, the smallest of them aside from Shippo, who was already on Kagome's shoulder. Then Kakashi made two copies of himself so there would be enough people to carry the rest. Joey jumped on Naruto's back, Chrissy climbed on Hinata's, and then the three Egyptian's jumped on the Kakashi's backs.

They all shot off, following Inuyasha's lead.

-----------------------------------

It was early morning when they finally stopped in a mountain range... the same mountain range that Chrissy had fallen off the cliff, except further north. Kurama finally called a stop in a rocky outcropping that wasn't far from a river and a small bushy region off to the left where they could hunt for food.

Kirsten smiled at the group. "I've gotta get something to drink. I'll be right back." They all nodded, setting up a small camp for their short stay.

Kirsten made her way to the side of the river where she crouched down and tentatively tasted the water. It was nice and ice cold, and tasted absolutely wonderful. She took a few long sips, using a canteen that had been given to her by Miroku and was ready to refill it for when they continued on their walk, when she became aware of a large shadow descending on her. She blinked and looked over her shoulder just in time to see some incredibly large and ugly birdlike creature. It had the torso and head of a human, which was attached to another torso, this one of a bird that had a horrific face upon its chest. She had only a split second to take it in before it had her by her shoulders in its talons and was taking her aloft.

Immediately, a terrified scream tore from her throat.

The others saw this from the ground, and Gaara was the first one to make a move. He was on his feet and shot off after the bird, following its path from the ground. As he did so, he made a few quick signals with his hand and the sand in his gourd shot forth and up into the sky. By this time, the others were hard on his heels. Koga had been ready to leap high into the air to rescue Kirsten himself, but the sand had already crammed itself into the monster's chest mouth and exploded outward.

As the girl started to freefall, Kurama leaped high and caught her in midair, holding her close to him as he gently touched down.

Kirsten's face was white, her eyes wide and haunted, and she was trembling almost uncontrolably.

Miroku and the others finally caught up. "Kurama! Is she all right?" he called out.

He nodded, though his expression was rather concerned. "Yes. I think she is just badly shaken."

Koga scowled. "Those Birds of Paradise are a pain in the ass! I'm just glad they were all wiped out in MY world..."

Kirsten let out a shudder. "Birds... of Paradise? In my world... those are beautiful songbirds that live in the tropics! Not some freakish... THING with two mouths and a set of wings!!!" She shuddered again.

Kurama smiled at her gently. "The next time you go to get some water, I will go with you. We'll return to the camp now."

He set her down by the campfire gently, as Koga decided to scan the skies for any more signs of the birds. They were natural enemies of the Wolf Demons, and so if he saw any, he fully intended to kill them himself. After Kaylalla returned to her kitten form, she curled up in Kirsten's lap and nuzzled her. After a few moments had passed, Kirsten finally regained some of her normal coloring and the bare traces of a smile started on her face.

She blinked when the usually reclusive Gaara sat beside her and handed her a moist cloth. "Here," he said. Kirsten had gotten a few spatters of blood on herself when the bird had exploded.

She accepted it with a small smile. "Thank you."

He grunted. "You doing better now?"

She nodded. "Yeah... it just... happened so suddenly and..." She rubbed the back of her head. "In my world, I've never heard of a bird big enough to pick up a human."

He looked at her. "No offense, but your world sounds boring as all hell."

Kirsten grinned a little sheepishly. "I can't argue with that. But I think right now I'd rather the boredom than worrying every second that I'm going to die."

He grunted again. "Don't worry about dying. It won't happen on my watch." Then he got up without another word and headed over to where Rock was visiting with Tristan and Tea, leaving Kirsten wide eyed and with a light blush playing across her cheeks.

-----------------------------------

Tearra, feeling well protected with her group, and trying not to let Sesshomaru catch her glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, enjoyed her walk through the peaceful countryside. they were currently walking through a hilly region, the sun high above their heads. Rin was walking alongside Kaiba and Mokuba, deep in conversation with the little boy. Sesshomaru occassionally glancing back at her.

She was currently walking alongside Yusuke and Kuwabara. They walked along in relative silence, Tearra just enjoying the sights that she so rarely got to see living in the city, when the two boys at her side stiffened and stopped in their tracks.

"Yo, Kuwabara! You sense that?!"

He nodded, activating his reiki sword. "A huge demonic aura! Straight ahead!"

All eyes were on the two boys now, Sesshomaru turning forward again to test the air. "Yes. I can also smell a human woman ahead as well. There is the faint scent of blood. I believe she may be under attack."

Yusuke snarled. "A woman being attacked by a demon?! Not on MY watch!!" He charged forward ahead of the group, the others rushing to catch up to him. Seconds later, they heard a pained scream from ahead on the trail and, as they rounded a bend, they saw a huge monstrous demon, at least fourty feet tall. Held in one of his clawed hands, he held a woman who appeared to be in mid to late thirties. She seemed to have a wound on her shoulder.

The spirit detective snarled again. "GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF HER!!" He cast a glance at Sasuke. "Yo! If I slay that thing, can you catch her before she hits the ground and NOT get yourself killed?!"

The boy nodded calmly. "Yes. Go for it."

Yusuke pointed his finger right at the beast. "NOW!!! REIKI BLAST!!!!"

An enormous aura blast shot forth from his finger and slammed right into it. The force of the attack caused the beast to drop the woman immediately. Sasuke made a few quick signs with his hands and vanished from sight, reappearing right by the woman, twisting his body in midair as he caught her in his arms and shoved off the beast with his feet, landing safely on the ground nearby.

He very gently set the woman down on the ground and she instantly fell to her knees, trembling from shock. Mokuba and Rin raced forward at the same time. "IS SHE OKAY?!"

Kikyo came forward and knelt by the woman, her eyes concerned. "It's all right. You're safe now. Just let me take a look at your shoulder and I can heal it for you..."

The woman looked up then, and when she saw Kikyo, her eyes went wide. "Kagome?!" she said in shock, and the others all blinked in shock. How did she know Kagome? Then she blinked. "Wait... you're not Kagome... you look a lot like her but..." She sighed.

"I am the Priestess Kikyo," she said. "Kagome is my reincarnation. "How do you know her?"

The woman blinked again, holding her shoulder. "She is my daughter..." Then her eyes went wide. "You're Kikyo? Does that mean that I was somehow brought to the Feudal Era?" Then she gasped again. "My son! I have to find... Sota..." She slumped forward, the Priestess stopping her fall.

Kikyo looked over her for a moment. "She suffered from loss of blood, as well as exhaustion and hunger."

Duke sighed. "Poor woman... she's probably been looking for Kagome and her son since she got to this world."

Sakura thought for a moment. "I remember Kagome mentioning her family. She told me she lived in a shrine of some sort with her Grandfather, mother and eight year old little brother." Her eyes widened. "Oh, no! That poor kid! He's out there on his own somewhere!"

Sesshomaru looked down at the unconscious woman for a few long seconds. "We will rest here for a while until Kikyo has treated the woman's condition. Then someone can carry her as we continue on our way.

They all nodded as the Priestess started her work.

_YAY!!! Chapter Twelve!! R&R everyone!!!_


	13. Chapter 13

**Alrighty!! Chapter Thirteen!! Everyone... please, if anyone's reading this, please review!! Even flames are welcome:)**

"How close are we?" Kagome asked worridly.

Inuyasha cast a glance back at the woman on his back. "Not far. We should be there in the next five or ten minutes..." He suddenly skidded to a stop. "DAMN!!!!"

Kagome looked at him. "Inuyasha?"

"Spider Heads, straight ahead! I can smell them from here! They're closing in on your brother right now!" He shot off once more.

Chrissy paled as she rode on Hinata's back. "Spider... Heads???" she asked, her voice a croak as she had visions of enormous spiders similar to the ones in the movie 'Eight Legged Freaks.'

Inuyasha nodded. "Yeah. They're demons with spider-like qualities. They have long spindly arms and legs, can spin webs, and they have bites that can be lethal even to other demons. If that kid's bitten by one of them, there's no way he'll..."

"DON'T YOU DARE SAY IT!!!" Kagome screamed.

They rode on in silence for a few minutes when they heard horrified screams from up head. When they were in sight of the scene, they saw a little boy, around eight years old, tangled in a gigantic web, struggling for everything he was worth. Horrified screams came from his mouth as a pack of Spider Heads advanced on him.

"You will make a nice little snack for us, boy..."

As the lead Spider Head made a rush at the petrified boy, Kagome let an arrow fly, immediately purifying and destroying the demon.

Inuyasha dropped Kagome off, Hiei doing the same to Yugi, and Naruto doing the same to Joey. "STAY HERE!!" they shouted as they jumped into the fray. Naruto immediately made dozens of copies of himself and took out his shuriniken. Inuyasha had tetsuaiga out of his sheath, and Hiei had his own sword at the ready.

Chrissy heard a rustle in the bush off to her left and let out a screech as one of the spiders lunged at her, mandibles ready to sink into her arm. But then a strange displacement of the air sent it flying back, much to her shock and relief. Turning, she saw Marik holding his golden Rod out in her direction, his face set in a deep frown. Chrissy was beside him in an instant.

"Okay, I'm staying by you!! You've got that cool Rod thing that can throw those ugly freaky things back!" she said, trembling like crazy.

He nodded, his features set. "The Pharaoh, Kakashi, Hinata and I will all keep you safe."

Joey yelped and joined them. "Don't forget about me! Those things are mondo FREAKY!!!"

Another spider head was making its way toward Sota, but Kagome frowned. "I DON'T THINK SO!!!" She let another arrow fly, destroying another of the demons.

In a matter of minutes, the demons were all destroyed. Naruto's dopplegangers vanished in puffs of smoke, and he threw a few shuriniken, destroying the webbing that was holding the youth up. Inuyasha rushed forward to keep him from slamming into the ground.

Kagome rushed forward immediately, the others right on her heels. "SOTA!!!"

Inuyasha was freeing him from the webbing as quickly as he could. The boy's eyes were huge and haunted, his face white and he was trembling uncontrolably, tears still streaming from his eyes.

She knelt before him. "Sota!! Say something! Are you okay?!"

The boy blinked a few times, and seemed to come out of his trance. He looked up.

"K... Kagome?" he asked in a shaking voice.

She nodded, removing some webbing from his hair and clothing. "Yes, it's me! Are you okay? Inuyasha smelled you a few hours ago and..."

"KAGOME!!!!!" The boy flung himself into his sisters arms and started bawling and shaking like a leaf. "Where are we?! Is this the Feudal Era?! If it is, then please bring me back home, cuz I don't wanna stay here!! And where's Mom and Grandpa?! This weird storm went over the shrine and then I blacked out and woke up here alone!!! All I've seen are weird monsters and stuff since I got here, and I've hardly eaten and I was so scared...!!!!"

Inuyasha put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, easy kid. We're right here. Nothin's going to happen to you now, all right?"

The boy sniffed and looked up at the half demon, breaking out into a smile. "Inuyasha!" Then he looked around, taking in the others. "Um... they don't look like they're from the Feudal Era..."

Kagome sighed. "They're not... well, all except for Shippo here. He's the fox demon I told you about. But everyone else is from different worlds. Something weird is going on and we're trying to figure out what." She indiacted the rest of their companions. "This is Yugi, Joey, Naruto, Hinata, Hiei, Kakashi, Marik, Ishizu, Odion, and Chrissy."

Hinata stepped forward and knelt before him. "Here. Let me check him over for injuries."

Sota blinked, looking at he. "Whoa! You've got white eyes! Cool!"

She smiled at him gently. "Why, thank you. They are a family train inherent in my clan," she said as she gently prodded him to check for injuries.

He blinked again. "Clan?"

She nodded. "Ninja clan. Naruto, Kakashi and I are Ninja's from a village called Konoha in a world different from this one."

His eyes went wide. "Ninja's? Awesome!!"

Kagome nodded. "Yup. Hiei here's a fire demon. Then Yugi has an item from Ancient Egypt that has the spirit of a Pharaoh living in it, and Marik and Ishizu have two other magical artifacts from the same world called the Millennium Rod and the Millennium Necklace."

Sota was immediately all smiles as he looked from one to the other.

Chrissy grinned. "Well, he sure got over his scare quickly, now didn't he?"

Naruto nodded. "Yup! He seems like a cool kid... maybe I'll show him my Sexy Jitsu..."

Kakashi cleared his throat. "Don't you dare, Naruto..."

Chrissy blinked and elevated an eyebrow. "Your WHAT jitsu???"

Kakashi shook his head. "You don't want to know..."

-------------------------------

Kirsten was now over her experience, and feeling much safer as she rode behind Sango on her mount, Kaylalla. They were on their way east once more. Koga walked on one side of the giant cat, and Kurama was on the other. Taking up the rear was Gaara.

They rode until the sun was starting to vanish in the horizen, and they set up a camp, Koga and Rock Lee going of to catch food for the lot of them. After feasting on wild duck and a deer caught by the wolf, they all started to turn in. All except for Gaara who leaped into a tree and took up a watch.

-------------------------------

Yusuke carried the woman in his arms for the next four hours after Kikyo had finished patching up her injuries, when he felt her stir.

She blinked and started slightly, spotting the black haired youth who was carrying her. "Oh... Did I faint? I'm sorry..."

He smiled at her. "Don't be. You were exhausted and injured. Combined with the fact that you probably haven't eaten in the last few days, it's no wonder you fainted."

Seeing that the woman was now conscious again, the others all stopped.

"I'm Yusuke Urameshi, a Spirit Detective. These are Kuwabara, Sasuke, Sakura, Ryu, Kikyo, Kaiba, Mokuba, Duke, Sesshomaru, Jagen, Rin, and Tearra."

The woman nodded to each of them. "I am Kasumi Higurashi... Kagome's mother. Can anyone tell me how it is that I came to be here? I thought at first that I must be in the Feudal Era of Japan, but many of your clothes do not match that time period..." Then she blinked, looking at the tall white haired demon. "Your name's Sesshomaru? My daughter told me of a demon by that name that is Inuyasha's half brother..."

He nodded calmly. "I am one and the same."

She looked confused for a moment. "But... where are the rest of you from? If it's not the Feudal Era..."

Tearra scratched her head. "That's gonna take some time to explain."

Yusuke smiled. "We'll explain as we walk. I'll just keep carrying you for the rest of the day so you can regain some of your strength."

She nodded a little dubiously and they continued on.

------------------------------------

Once Sota had been healed by Hinata, he started talking to the others enthusiastically. Currently, he was walking beside Yugi and Marik, totally enamored by the stories the two of them told him about the Millennium Items and the history behind the game Duel Monsters. Chrissy showed him the duel disk he had on her arm, making sure he knew that she was NOT a professional duelist and wasn't even from Yugi and Marik's world, explaining why she had the disk and deck in the first place.

Inuyasha called a break so Kagome could make up some Ramen for her little brother who had eaten nothing but a few berries since coming to this world. Within minutes, Sota, Chrissy and Naruto were happily feasting on prepared Ramen, the boy now focusing his attention on Naruto. The chunin was only too happy to tell him EVERYTHING about himself, and seemed surprised that the kid was listening with great interest to every word he said.

After they had eaten, they continued on their way once more, Inuyasha letting the kid ride on his back until the dark started to settle in. Then Naruto and Kakashi went hunting and returned with some freshly killed game which Kakashi prepared for them all.

After they ate and were starting to settle in for the night, Sota looked at Shippo. "So... you're a kitsune? Kagome's told me you can do all kinds of cool transformations."

The red haired boy nodded. "Yup!" He took a leaf out of a pouch and put it against his forehead. "Just watch! Fox magic, Transform!!!" There was a puff of smoke and Sota himself looking at a double of himself. "How's that?"

The youth broke out into a huge smile. "Oh, WOW!!! That was so totally awesome!"

Shippo grinned broadly and rubbed the back of his head. "Aw, that was nothin' much." There was another puff of smoke and he stood as himself again.

Naruto let out a huge yawn. "Man, I could use some sleep..."

Inuyasha nodded. "I think we all could."

Chrissy grinned a little. "My luck must be changing. I went a whole day without almost getting killed." Then she let out a huge yawn of her own. She went up to a large boulder at the edge of the clearing and leaned against it. "G'night, everyone."

After a few minutes of lying against the rock, she felt someone drape a cloth over her. Blinking, she was shocked to see that Hiei had taken off his jacket and had given to her. "It's chilly tonight. The cold doesn't bother me, so you can use this." he said simply before leaping into the trees.

Chrissy blinked in surprise, looking at him. Then she shrugged inwardly, closed her eyes, and tried to get some sleep.

---------------------------------------

Sesshomaru's group stopped for the night, Ryu's other half, Bakura, taking on a physical form of his own to offer keeping watch for the night. Everyone readily agreed to this and went to sleep, Kasumi immediately going close to where Yusuke and Kuwabara were sleeping. She had heard a few things about Sesshomaru from Kagome and, although he didn't appear to be threatening now, she still didn't want to take any chances.

**Kay, Chapter 13 is up now!! Please, please, please... Read and Review!!! In the next chapter, more people from another world show up!! Which world? Hehehe... FUSHIGI YUUGI!!!!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Kay, here's chapter fourteen!! Please, R&R!!! **

In a dense woodland, within a clearing, a woman sat with her back against a tree, looking through three globes of light, watching the three groups intently. They had been through much, but there was so much more to come. Although the Dormant Deities seemed to be well protected, she knew they would need more protection than they had already. Unfortunately, to access more protectors would also mean her brother could bring forth more enemies from the world she accessed.

She sighed. There was no helping it. She had to bring more here or the girls would never have a chance to awaken their abilities. As it was, the Mother Deity had already nearly lost her life and very soul on several occassions.

"It must be done," she said to the darkness, and her eyes started to glow.

-------------------------------

Chrissy and the others in her group were suddenly awakened by several bright flashes of light and bangs. When the earth shook beneath their feet, and Chrissy remembered how it was she had gotten here in the first place, she let out a terrified screech and latched onto the closest person to her... Yugi.

Oh, GOD!!! It's happening again!! I'm not going ANYWHERE alone!!" she cried, grabbing his arm, her eyes enormous with fright.

Then they all heard two voices cry out in alarm, and two forms dropped from the sky, one dressed in a long black and blue jacket, and a beautiful young woman with violet hair, wearing an old fashioned Chinese dress.

Everyone was scrambling in an instant, the normal humans getting behind the powerful people in case these two new arrivals should be a threat.

"Hey, Tasuki!! Are you all right?"

"Yeah, but what the hell was with that freaky light show?!" He looked up and his jaw dropped, and he immediately took a fan off his back and held it at the ready. "WHAT THE HELL?! Where ARE we?! And who the hell are all 'a' you people?!"

The woman stood next to him and held her hands up. "Easy, Tasuki. Cool that hot temper of yours for a minute, would you? Let's see if they're actually enemies before you go flying off the deep end, as Miaka would say." She regarded them a moment. "I am Nuriko and this is Tasuki. We are of the Seven Suzaku Seishi. Where are we and who are you? Are you the ones responsible for bringing us here?"

Kakashi took a step forward. "I am Kakashi, an elite jonin ninja from the Village of Konoha. It looks like you were just added to on to a growing list of people brought here from another dimension. We have no idea who is responsible for bringing us here to this strange land, but we are in the process of trying to figure it out. But we, ourselves, are not responsible. We were actually sleeping for the night."

Tasuki frowned slightly, spotting Inuyasha. "What the hell's the deal with him? What's with those ears?"

The half demon frowned deeply, putting away his sword. "I happen to be a half demon. What's with the fan? You use it to chase away the heat?"

Tasuki gave him a smirk, revealing his fangs. "Nah... but I use it to BRING on the heat..." He held it up.

Nuriko held her hands up again. "TASUKI!! Don't make me slam your head into a tree! Stop picking fights!!"

Kagome stepped up beside the hanryu. "You too, Inuyasha."

Chrissy, for her part, was just breathing a huge sigh of relief. "Thank God... I thought that storm thing was going to send us all off someplace else again..."

Yugi nodded. "Yeah, I was worried about that, too. And it doesn't look like these two are going to hurt us, so I guess we just have two more people with us, is all."

Joey grinned broadly, Naruto at his side. "Maybe, but I sure as heck don't mind! That girl's totally gorgeous!! I wonder if she's taken?"

The woman looked his way and smirked. "Sorry, I don't think I'm your type. Not unless you like men, that is," she said as she pulled down the front of her dress to reveal the flat chest of a man.

Their jaws all dropped and Chrissy almost fell over in shock. She was on the verge of tears. "I don't... believe it... I found a man who's prettier than I am..."

Tasuki caught sight of Chrissy and blinked, coming forward. "Hey..." he said, fingering the bottom of her short skirt. "This looks like the kinda thing tha' Miaka usually wears..."

Chrissy turned bright red immediately and her reflexes took over as her hand smacked him across the face. "DO YOU MIND?! HANDS OFF!!!!"

The red haired man rubbed his cheek. "SORRY, GEEZ!!! I was just curious if you were from Miaka's world, is all!! I wasn't makin' a play for you! I don't even like women, so get a grip!!"

She sighed, still blushing. "Terrific. Our two new party members are a cross dresser and a gay guy..."

Tasuki almost blew his stack. "I'M NOT GAY!!!!! I JUST CAN'T STAND WOMEN!!! YOU TRY BEING A YOUNGER BROTHER TO GIVE SISTERS AND SEE HOW YA COME OUTTA IT!!!"

Nuriko's eyes suddenly went wide as he looked around. "Wait a minute!! Miaka!! The others!! Where are they?!"

Tasuki blinked as he scanned the group along with his companion. "DAMN!! IF MIAKA'S OUT THERE ON HER OWN... AN' THERE'S DEMONS HERE..."  
Hiei snorted and crossed his arms. "Hn. With any amount of luck, she wound up with one of the other groups. There's three groups right now, and all of them have powerful people in them. But if she IS alone, I'm sure either we or someone else will come across her before she's in any danger."

Kakashi looked at them all. "I think we should all sit down and try explaining what little we do know. We can exchange our stories and see what develops from there."

Nodding, the others all settled down again.

---------------------------

Kirsten and her group were all awakened in the exact same manner as Chrissy and her group.

Kirsten let out a screech of alarm and latched onto Kurama who was closest to her, her eyes enormous. "Oh, no!! It's happening again!!"

Looking up, they saw three figures appear in a flash of light, two men and a young woman. The girl and the largest of them fell the few feet to the ground, while the third of them seemed to flot to the ground slowly.

"Miaka! Mitsukake! Are you two okay, no da?!" asked a man with a strange smiling face.

A girl with buns on either side of her head and a school uniform sat up slowly, along with a man with black hair held up with two crisscrossing headbands.

The girl nodded. "I think so..." Then she looked up and gasped. "AH!! Where are we?!" she asked, climbing to her feet in alarm.

The man with the strange face spotted the others and quickly pulled Miaka and the other man behind him. "Um... who are you, and are you the ones responsible for bringing us here, no da? And where ARE we, no da?"

Kurama came forward slowly, holding his hands up, indicating that he didn't mean these three new arrivals any harm. "We're not the ones who brought you here. We have all experienced the same strange storm as you just did, and were torn from our own worlds because of it. My name is Kurama."

The man with the blue mohawk and strange face slowly reached up with his hand and removed the face he wore, revealing handsom features, broken only by a terrible scar over his left eye. "You are a demon. I can sense it."

He nodded. "I am a demon in human form, but I do not harm humans. I am actually in this group to offer my protection. Koga there is a wolf demon, but he as well does not bring harm to humans. You have nothing to fear from us."

Miroku stepped up to them. "I sense great spiritual energy coming from you. Are you by chance, a monk?"

The man nodded, looking at him. "You are as well?"  
He nodded, a small smile coming to his face. "Yes. My name is Miroku."

He replaced the mask and nodded, shaking his hand. "It is an honor to meet you, Miroku, no da. I'm Chichiri, of the seven Suzaku Seishi."

The girl in the school uniform looked around herself. "Wait a minute! Chichiri, where are the others? Tamahome, Hotohori, Nuriko, Chiriko and Tasuki?"

Kirsten slowly came out from behind Gaara. "I wouldn't be too surprised. We were all seperated from our friends when we first arrived here. It took me almost a week to find mine. But now we split up into three groups to try and find out who brought us here and why. Maybe one of the other groups found some of your friends."

Mitsukake spoke for the first time since they arrived. "Perhaps we should sit down, have introductions and exchange our information."

Chichiri nodded. "That's a good idea, no da. Mitsukake, you and Miaka stay here with the others. I'm not detecting any evil here, so you should be fine. I'm just going to teleport to the others and make sure they're all right, no da?"

Mitsukake nodded. "All right, but hurry back."

He nodded. "I will, no da." He placed a hand before his face and focused for a moment. Then he vanished into his Kasa, shocking many people.

Miaka sat down immediately. "Well, I guess we should get our own explanations out of the way first. Chichiri should be back by the time we're done. But before we start that... does anyone have something to eat? I'm starving!"

------------------------------

The shaking disturbed Sesshomaru's group as well, and everyone was awake in an instant. Tearra making to lunge at the nearest person to her, determined not to be dragged somewhere else alone. She managed to grab a hold of Ryu's arm when the bright flash of light erupted and several alarmed cries filled the air. Three figures fell to the ground... a gorgeous young man with long brown hair, a boy with teal colored hair, and a young child with light brown hair pulled into a pony tail up top of his head.

Everyone was prepared in case these new arrivals should be a threat, until they saw the man with teal hair rush to his companions sides. "Chiriko! Your Majesty! Aret you two all right?!"

"I believe I will be fine," said a young voice.

The man with the long hair nodded. "I am all right, Tamahome. How about you?"

The teal haired man sighed in relief. "I'm feeling fine. But..." He looked up for the first time and immediately took up a fighting stance. "Where are we?! And who are you?!" he demanded, seeing the group of people.

The little boy raised his hands up toward the man. "Easy, Tamahome. Before you get aggressive, I think it would be best if we ascertained whether or not these people are our enemies. Provoking them unnecessarily might cause them to react violently."

Before he could respone, Kikyo stepped up to them, holding her hands up to indicate that she meant them no harm. "We are not your enemies. I can detect no evil within you, and so we are on the same side. My name is Kikyo, and I am a Priestess from a realm different from your own. That storm you experienced just now caused you to be transported to this realm. We are all in the same situation you are. We don't know who is responsible for this, but we are trying to find out right now."

The man relaxed his stance. "My name is Tamahome. This is the Emperor of our country, Hotohori, and Chiriko. We are of the Seven Suzaku Seishi."

Hotohori stared, having caught sight of Sesshomaru. "I cannot believe... that I have found another man as beautiful as I..."

The demon rose an eyebrow slowly in spite of himself, while Tamahome and Chiriko fell over in shock. Everyone else in the group just blinked slowly, and looked to be at a loss.

Chiriko blinked then, looking around. "If I may also point out... we seem to have been seperated from the others... including the Priestess, Miaka."

Tamahome's eyes went huge, as did Hotohori's. "MIAKA?! SHE'S MISSING?!"

As the two of them started looking around themselves wildly, Chiriko turned to the others and rubbed the back of his head a little sheepishly. "Please forgive them. They are both in love with the Priestess and are competing for her affections."

Kasumi smiled. "My... this Miaka must feel very fortunate for two handsom young men such as they to love her... and an Emperor no less..."

Sesshomaru stepped forward then. "I am sure your friends are all right. We are one of three groups formed to try and obtain an explanation for the odd events that have been occurring. I am sure that one of them will come across this Priestess and your other companions. In the meantime, perhaps we should exchange experiences and have introductions?"

The competitors stopped, hearing this, as Chiriko simply smiled and gave an affirmative nod. "That is an excellent idea, sir."

The entire group settled down in various areas, the seishi starting to tell their tale.

**Yay!! It's up!! Please R&R!!!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Wow!! Fifteenth Chapter here!! **

Chrissy blinked. "So... you can shoot fire with that fan of yours and move with superhuman speed," she said, indicating Tasuki. "And you have superhuman strength?"

Nuriko nodded. "That's correct. So long as our symbols appear on our bodies, we have those abilities. We were chosen by our God, Suzaku, to protect his Priestess from another world... Miaka."

The Pharaoh was seated at Chrissy's side, taking over his light side to hear the tale. He would take on a physical form of his own while giving his own story. He looked deep in thought for a moment, and then asked: "Do you have any enemies that may be here as well?"

Tasuki blinked. "What do ya mean?"

Joey looked at him. "Well, alotta people who were brought here also seem ta have had their enemies dragged with them from their world. Inuyasha's got some psycho demon named Naraku, Yugi an' me've got Dartz an' his followers... we don't know about everyone else yet, but it IS a good question... in case we need ta keep an eye open."

The two newcomers exchanged a serious look and then nodded as one. "You're right," Nuriko said. "We DO have enemies. The Seiryyu Seishi. Nakago, Soi, Amiboshi, Suboshi, Tomo, Miboshi, and Ashitaire. All of them are extremely dangerous, but Nakago is our primary enemy."

Tasuki nodded. "Yeah. He's the one to look out for, all right. You'll know him due ta his blonde hair and blue eyes... or at least that'd be the way ta recognize him in our world," he said, giving Naruto a bit of a look. "Those traits are very rare in our world. He's got an immense amount of chi in him, an' he ain't afraid ta use it. He's totally merciless an' he'll kill his own men if he feels like it."

Chrissy shivered. "Guy sounds peachy," she said dryly. "What about the others?"

Nuriko shrugged. "Well, Soi can control the weather, and loves her lightning attacks. Tomo's specialty is creating illusions with an enchanted shell... illusions so real they can kill. Amiboshi and Suboshi are twins... Amiboshi can control chi through his mouth and utilizes his ability with a flute. Any music he makes can heal or kill through his own will. Suboshi has telekinetics that he uses to control a set of noshiobo... I think I heard Miaka compare those to something from her world called 'yo-yo's'. They can break through boulders and Suzaku help anyone who's hit by one of them. Miboshi is a sorcerer of dark magic who has the ability to possess others... something that has made his true age almost impossible to determine. He is said to be immortal due to that ability. And with Ashitaire... he's a werewolf who can change for m at will. He's little more than an animal who can barely control his bloodlust. He tends to eat whatever it is that he kills."

Chrissy's face was now white. "Great. Like demons and monster's weren't enough. Now we might have people like THAT running around somewhere."

Naruto looked at them. "Hey, you said you were only two of seven people, right? What are the rest of your friends like? And by the way, if you guys have a Priestess, do these Seiryyu guys have one, too?"  
Kakashi looked at him. "I'm impressed, Naruto! You asked intelligent questions!"

The boy gave him a half glowering look. "Um... thanks???"

Tasuki shrugged. "Well, yeah, they've got a Priestess of their own. Her name is Yui and she used ta be Miaka's best friend, but because of Nakago's brainwashing, he's turned her into her worst enemy. And as for the rest of us... there's Tamahome, who's character gives him immense skill in the martial arts." He scowled slightly. "I've seen that skill for myself while he was under the control of the Seiryyu for a while an' when I say he's got skill, I mean it. Then Mitsukake can heal a person even from the brink of death once a day. There's also Chiriko, a little kid who's got the gift of intelligence.. he'll talk in words you couldn't understan' if ya tried. And then there's our Emperor, Hotohori, who's gift is swordsmanship and some degree of chi control. An' the last and most powerful of our group is..."

Chrissy suddenly found herself face to face with the upside down face of a smiling man. "Hi, na no da!! Are my friends here, no da?"

She let out an ear piercing screech as she tumbled over the log she was seated on, landing on her back as she saw the head was out of a kasa, and was quickly followed by shoulders, torso, and the legs of a man with a strange smiling face and blue mohawk haircut. "WHAT THE HELL?!?!"

He continued smiling at her. "I'm sorry, no da," he said, rubbing the back of his head. "If I'd known it'd scare you that much, I wouldn't have done that, no da."

Tasuki and Nuriko were on their feet in an instant, both wearing smiles on their faces. "Chichiri!!" Tasuki breathed a sigh of immense relief. "Man, is it good ta see you!" He smiled at the others and indicated the latest arrival. "This is Chichiri, the most powerful in our group. He can do all kindsa weird things with his chi, due to teh fact that he trained under the Oracle Tai Yi Jun for many years. An' he can also change his appearance."

To confirm this, the monk immediately chibified. "That's right, no da! I'm a monk. Nice to meet all of you, no da!" Then he turned to Tasuki and Nuriko. "Mistukake, Miaka and I found ourselves with a group not far from here. I am just checking to make sure everyone is okay, no da. You were the closest I could detect, so I thought I'd teleport here first, no da."

Tasuki and Nuriko sighed in relief. "So Miaka's safe then. That's good," the bandit said.

Chichiri nodded, giving a nod to the others. "I just dropped in, no da. If you happen to require my services, Tasuki and Nuriko should be able to contact me through our connection with Suzaku, no da." Then he looked around himself, looking beyond the clearing they were in. He nodded. "I can sense his Majesty, Tamahome, and Chiriko, no da. I'm just going to go and make sure that they're okay, as well." He smiled and reverted to his adult form again. He placed a hand before his face before giving Tasuki and Nuriko a nod. "Bye, no da!" Then the kasa on his head dropped down and vanished.

Chrissy blinked slowly. "That guy... is both very cool and very... strange..."

Joey nodded in agreement. "Yeah... especially with that turnin' himself small..."

Tasuki smirked. "Yeah, we thought he was some kinda weird squirrel when we first met him. He's a really easy goin' guy... just so long as ya don't piss him off."

Nuriko looked at them all. "So... now you know our story... so how about you guys tell us your own stories?"

They exchanged several looks, and then nodded.

--------------------------------

Mokuba was seated right beside Chiriko, while Rin was on the other side of the overly intelligent child. He did the majority of the talking while explaining about their own adventures in their world.

Kikyo looked at them. "So you have the gift of intelligence, Hotohori has the gift of swordsmanship, and Tamahome has incredible martial arts skills?"

He nodded. "That is correct. There are also four other seishi... Nuriko, Tasuki, Chichiri, and Mitsukake. Nuriko is a crossdresser who possesses superhuman strength. Tasuki is a bandit who has superhuman speed and who also possesses a talisman known as a tessen which shoots fire when he chants. Mitsukake is the healer... he has the ability to heal someone even from the brink of death once a day, and Chichiri is a monk with immense chi control and natural shapeshifting abilities. He is undoubtedly the most powerful of the group."

Sasuke looked at them. "And your duty is to protect this Priestess that was brought to your world from another world named Miaka?"

Tamahome nodded. "Yes. Our first attempt at summoning Suzaku was foiled by a Seiryyu Seishi named Amiboshi, so now in order to summon our god and get our wishes granted, we have to gather two items known as the Shinzaho's... items that were worn by the previous priestesses... the Priestesses chosen by Genbu and Byakko. The items posses enough spiritual power that we can summon him forth... if the Seirryu Seishi don't get to them first."

Kaiba blinked. "Seirryu Seishi?"

Hotohori nodded, and the three of them told them of the Seirryu Seishi, and the history between their priestess, Yui, and Suzaku's Priestess, Miaka.

"Through the misunderstanding, along with some brainwashing curteosy of Nakago, Yui believes that Miaka deliberately betrayed her and is responsible for what happened to her when she was dragged to our world. Her newfound hatred for Miaka is what prompted her to accept the responsibility of becoming the Priestess of Seirryu. All Miaka wants is to have her friend back and to return to her own world," Tamahome said.

Hotohori got to his feet. "And speaking of Miaka... I cannot simply sit here when she might be on her own in this unknown land without any protection."

"She's not alone, no da! She's with another group of people and Mitsukake, Your Majesty, no da!" came another voice. Turning, they saw a man wearing a strange smiling mask on his face and with blue hair done up in a mohawk.

They all stood up instantly, the Suzaku Seishi wearing smiles. "CHICHIRI!!!!"

The monk smiled at them. "Hi, no da! I found Tasuki and Nuriko as well, no da. They're with another group about thirty miles that way," he said, pointing in the general direction. "Everyone is safe, no da. I just came to make sure you were all right as well, no da."

The three of them sighed in collective relief. "So Miaka is safe then," Hotohori said.

He nodded. "Yes, no da. And now that I know the two of you are safe as well, I should return to her. Mitsukake may have his own special talents, but fighting is not among them, no da. If you need me, you know how to contact me, no da."

The three of them nodded.

The monk smiled at them all and gave them a wave. "I'll see you all later, na no da!" Then he focused and the kasa upon his head fell, him vanishing within it. And then the hat popped out of sight with a puff of smoke.

Mokuba stared. "Whoa... that was so cool..."  
Sesshomaru nodded. "This is fortunate. We now have a way to communicate to the other groups. Chichiri would act as an excellent intermediary."

-----------------------------------

Tasuki blinked slowly. "Okay... so you..." he said, pointing at Yugi, "have some magic item thing from this Ancient Egypt that has the spirit of a King from that land, and you two," he said, pointing to Ishizu and Marik, "have two other items from that time that have special powers, did I get that right?"

Joey nodded. "Yup! That's the whole of our story, pretty much."

Nuriko had his turn then, pointing at Naruto, Kakashi and Hinata. "And you three are ninja's from another world, and you, Naruto, have the spirit of a Nine Tailed Fox Demon sealed inside you?"

He grinned and nodded. "Yup! Right on again!"

Tasuki looked at Hiei, but before he could even ask, the small demon rolled his eyes and had his hands behind his back. "I'm a fire demon, end of story. I come from a world that has three different realms... human, spirit and demon. You've got it right."

Nuriko looked at Kagome. "And you're a Priestess..."

She shook her head. "I'm the reincarnation of a Priestess. The Priestess Kikyo, who is with another group right now. And Inuyasha here is a half demon, and Shippo is a baby fox demon. We're looking for the shards of the Shikon no Tama and are trying to defeat an evil demon named Naraku while we're at it."

Tasuki looked at Chrissy. "And what about you?"

She shrugged. "A boring girl from a boring world. That's pretty well the end of my story."

Nuriko blinked. "Then what are you doing here?"

She rolled her eyes. "Believe me, I've been asking myself that question from the very second I woke up here." Then she let out a yawn. "If nobody minds, can I get back to sleep now? We only have a few hours until the sun comes up again."

Inuyasha nodded. "Yeah, we could all use some sleep. And we've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

Chrissy curled up where she had been before, wrapping herself in Hiei's jacket again to stave off the cold of the night.

--------------------------------------

Chichiri returned to the others informing Miaka and Mitsukake that the others were all accounted for and safe. Miaka seemed deeply relieved to hear this. He arrived just as Miaka and Mitsukake were finishing telling their own story, and just in time to hear the others start relating their own experiences.

The entire telling took up almost four whole hours, and when they were finished, Chichiri looked at Kirsten curiously. "Why do you think you were brought here, no da?"

The blonde girl blinked and then could only shrug helplessly. "I have no idea. All I know is that me and my two friends are trapped here and we want to get back home."

Miroku looked at them. "None of us can get back home until we get to the bottom of what's going on in the first place. And I think we should get some rest, because we should set out at sunrise... and that is only a few hours away."

Kurama nodded. "Yes. We have much exploring to do yet. We have to find some answers sooner or later."

Chichiri nodded in turn. "Yes. We should be well rested to face whatever is out there, no da."

They all slowly turned in, Kaylalla taking on her large form and letting Kirsten, Tea and Tristan rest against her.

**Next Chapter soon to come!! (and I mean really soon) **


	16. Chapter 16

**Alright!! Here's chapter sixteen, everyone! R&R!!!**

The next day, Chrissy found herself walking alongside one of their new companions, Nuriko. Well, it was more like Nuriko invited herself... HIMself to walk alongside her, and he was fussing over her.

"Did anyone ever tell you that you have absolutely BEAUTIFUL hair?" he asked, fingering it tentatively. "I could style it beautifully... and it's so shiny and soft!"

Chrissy was a little at a loss. "Um... thanks?"  
"And just look at that beautiful figure of yours!" He winked at her. "I'll bet you I could make you the most beautiful dress to bring out all of your best features! With your looks, you should be able to have any man putty in your hands!" He lifted her chin so she was looking directly at him. "I mean... your face shape is absolutely beautiful... and those full lips and wide eyes... with a little makeup, you could look like a geisha!"

The woman laughed nervously, more than a little disturbed and flushed at having the man speak and look at her the way he was. "Um... tempting offer... I'll get back to you on that one, Nuriko..." She rushed over to Joey, Yugi and Naruto, who were walking in a small group. "That Nuriko guy... is really... disturbing. I mean... he's so... feminine..."

Joey sighed. "It sucks that he's a guy... I mean... damn..."  
Chrissy cast a glance back at where the superstrong crossdresser was speaking with Tasuki. "Is it normal for a man to be that beautiful?"

Yugi rubbed the back of his head. "According to Nuriko, their Emperor is more beautiful than he is... which is one of the reasons Nuriko says he's in love with him."

She shuddered. "That... is so not right. Not that I have anything against gays or anything, but could they keep it behind closed doors?"

Naruto shrugged. "Each to their own. I say if it makes them happy and they leave me out of it, then they can go for it."

Taking a glance back, Yugi saw Nuriko had flitted over by Ishizu and was now fussing over her, much to the woman's dubious embarrassment. Marik and Odion both had huge sweatdrops trailing down the sides of their heads. "I guess... and besides he does seem really happy being the way he is..."

Joey crossed his arms. "So long as he doesn't make any moves on me, I ain't got a problem with it..."

---------------------------------

Kirsten, meanwhile, found herself happily chatting with Miaka the next day as they walked along in a lightly forested region. The Priestess was a year younger than Kirsten herself, and slightly less mature, but had a sweet personality, much like Kirsten's own.

Meanwhile, Chichiri was travelling with Miroku, Kurama and Koenma in the back of the group. And the topic of their conversation was Kirsten.

Miroku looked at Chichiri. "So, you suspect that Kirsten and her friends were brought here for a reason?"

The monk nodded. "Yes. If there is one thing I have learned, it's that you shouldn't brush things off as being a coincidence, no da. And people are not always what they appear to be. Although Kirsten and her friends may seem helpless, there may be more to them than meets the eye, even if they themselves are not aware of it, no da. And don't you find it unusual that they are the only ones that were brought here from their own world, no da?"

Kurama nodded. "Yes. That is unusual. And I also agree that people are not always all they appear to be. But as yet, I have not detected anything unusual from any of them. Although one in their group seems to be more prone to unfortunate circumstance than the others..."

Chichiri looked at him. "What do you mean, no da?"

"One of Kirsten's friends, a lady by the name of Chrissy, has met with one unfortunate circumstance after another since entering this world. She was nearly eaten by a centipede demon only hours after she first arrived here and was narrowly saved by a hanryu named Inuyasha. Then she was nearly killed by a wind demon named Kagura, and was at the time saved by a companion of mine named Hiei. Then, from what I understand, she fell off a cliff in the mountains due to an unexplainable earthquake, where she was found by Koga and his companions at the time. And later that same day, she nearly lost her soul in a strange game... facing off against an enemy of Tea and Tristan's."

Koenma blinked. "It really does sound like fate has it in for her, doesn't it? She has more misfortune than Kuwabara."

Miroku frowned. "That does not sound good to me. I am not one who believes in coincidence, and it sounds to me as if she is being subtly, but DELIBERATELY targeted. But the question would be why? I can also detect nothing from any of the girls. I met all three of them and could find nothing that would suggest that they are anything but normal women."

Kurama frowned. "I don't know. But I think we should use caution and do everything we can to protect them."

Chichiri nodded. "I agree, no da."

----------------------------------------

Chrissy sighed, walking alongside Marik and Kagome now. "If I ever get back home, the first thing I'm gonna do is hop in the car and order the biggest pizza I can find with the works and just chow down..."

Joey moaned from beside Naruto. "Please, don't... I'm goin' nuts here too!!"

Naruto smiled dreamily. "I'd love another helping of Ramen..."

Kagome smiled back at him. "Sorry, I'm all out now. We'll have to make due with wild game from here on out."

The young ninja moaned but didn't complain further.

Kagome looked around briefly, trying to locate her little brother and found him walking alongside Tasuki who was talking to him animatedly, while he was showing him the fire spouting fan that he carried on his back.

Marik looked at Ishizu. "Have you used your necklace lately, sister? Can you see events yet to come?"

She shook her head. "I have tried, but the future seems to be clouded. My necklace will not grant me a glimpse into our future."

Yugi winced. "That doesn't sound good. Usually if an Item is acting strangely, it means that someone is messing with fate in some way... and nothing good can come of that."

Inuyasha growled. "No one controls my fate! And anyone that tries can talk to my Tetsuaiga!!"

Tasuki blinked. "That's the big fancy sword ya carry with ya, right? Can ya do any special attacks with it?"

Kagome smiled at the bandit leader. "He sure can! He can use the Wind Scar and Backlash Wave... both of which are VERY Deadly, and can kill hundreds of demons in one swipe!"  
He smirked. "Interestin'."

In that instant, Inuyasha stopped in his tracks and his eyes went wide. He whirled and scanned the trees. "Everyone, stay on guard!! I just heard something moving in the forest!!"

Everyone stopped immediately and Sota moved closer to the bandit leader.

Nuriko was looking around himself, looking ready for anything. "Where?"

The half demon shook his head. "I don't know, but I know I heard something!"

All was silent for a few moments as they scanned their surroundings, looking for signs of movement. "I don't see anything..." Chrissy said.

But an instant later, she felt something wrap around her right ankle and the next thing she knew, she was pulled off her feet and being dragged through the forest at a blinding speed, a terrified scream tearing from her throat.

Instantly Inuyasha, Hiei, Naruto, Kakashi and Tasuki were hot on her trail, the others immediately falling behind due to their lack of speed.

Chrissy slammed into trees, logs and rocks, bouncing and ramming into the ground. With each bounce, her body screamed in pain and her vision started to blur in her sight. She was like a rag doll, not able to prepare her body for each blow that she received from her unexpected flight through the forest. It went on for several minutes and she found herself blinded by the pain. Then her eyes blearily opened and she found herself looking at a man in a baboon mask.

"I have finally found you..." he said before her world went dark.

----------------------------------

As Kirsten was walking alongside Tea and Tristan, she suddenly cried out in pain and collapsed, holding herself close. Her eyes were squeezed tight as she suddenly felt her entire body screaming in pain.

Kurama and Chichiri were at her side in an instant. "Kirsten! What's wrong?"

She shook her head. "I... don't... know!! I... hurt everywhere all of a sudden... but..." Her sentence was cut off when she let out another cry of pain and a gash suddenly appeared on her right arm.

Mitsukake rushed forward immediately. "Is she somehow being attacked?"

Chichiri focused for a moment. "I can't sense anything! But whatever's going on, we have to stop it!"

The healer knelt before her and removed the bandaging from his hand, revealing his kanji. A green glow enveloped the girl, but the injuries still remained... and more appeared on her.

Mitsukake, Chichiri and Miaka were stunned. "It didn't work!!" Mitsukake whispered in shock and confusion.

Miaka's eyes were huge. "But... that's IMPOSSIBLE!!! Your power has never failed you before!!"

"What's going on?" Chichiri whispered, his hand coming up to remove his mask.

-------------------------

Tearra, meanwhile, had been walking alongside Sasuke and Ryu when she experienced the excrutiating pain erupt through her body. Her gashes appeared immediately as she fell to her knees, her eyes huge in pain.

Ryu was at her side in an instant. "Tearra!! What's wrong? What's happening to you?"

It was all she could do to keep herself upright. "I... hurt!!! I have no idea why, but I feel like..." She screamed again as a huge gash appeared on her right arm.

--------------------------------

When Inuyasha, Hiei, Naruto, Kakashi and Tasuki found the clearing, they found Chrissy being held upside down by a tentacle protruding from the bottom of a man in a baboon mask.

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed immediately and his Tetsuaiga was out of its sheath. "NARAKU!!!!"  
The figure chuckled. "Hello, Inuyasha. It's been a little while, hasn't it?"

He snarled. "Not long enough for me! Now let her go!! She's not involved with this!!"

"Oh, I disagree, Inuyasha. There is far more going on than you know. This woman and her friends are far more involved than anyone knows. And that is why I have been instructed to kill this one."

Naruto growled. "What the hell are you talking about?! Those girls ain't involved with nothin'!! They can't fight and they don't have any special abilities or anything like that!!"

Hiei nodded in full agreement. "Now let her go!!"

Tasuki already had his tessen out and ready for use. "Before we MAKE ya give her back!!"

Naraku chuckled once more. "You want her so badly? Then she's yours... if you can CATCH her, that is!!" His tentacle whipped out and flung the girl through the forest with terrifying force. She slammed into trees and the ground once more.

Naruto immediately made some quick signals with his hands and vanished from sight ans Naraku rose up with writhing tentacles flying everywhere.

Inuyasha looked at Kakashi and Tasuki. "You two check on Chrissy!! Hiei and I will handle Naraku!!!"

They didn't argue and simple shot off into the trees.

Naruto, meanwhile, had passed Chrissy and caught her, the force of her landing against him flinging him back as well. He dug his feet into the ground and stopped his movement only a few feet away from a high wall of rock. The woman was lying unmoving in his arms.

"NARUTO!!" a voice cried out. He didn't have to look up to know it was Kakashi. He and Tasuki rushed to where he was cradling the motionless woman. The only sign she was alive was the slight rise and fall of her chest.

Naruto felt a cold rage rise up inside him. "That... bastard... She didn't do nothin' to him! She couldn't do a thing to defend herself... not even Orichimaru would do somethin' like this!!"

A red aura slowly enveloped the chunin and Kakashi took Tasuki by the arm and drew him back, his eye going wide. "Stay back!! The Nine Tailed Fox Demon has been awakened by Naruto's rage! He's about to become uncontrollable and nearly invincible!"

The red aura flared and the image of a fox erupted forth in amdist the ara as the young man grew claws, his eyes became slitted and insane with rage, and his canines lengthened. Then he let out a bone chilling roar and charged back in the direction of the fight.

The three fighting heard the enraged cry and felt the immense aura as Naruto erupted from the forest, a demonic aura leaking from his pores, and he attacked Naraku mercilessly.

The others caught up with them finally and they stopped in shock, seeing the display. Hinata gasped in alarm. "Oh, no!! The Nine Tailed Fox Demon has taken control!!"

In confirmation of this, the chunin ninja let out another cry of rage and spread his arms out wide, as a massive aura issued forth. Then he charged Naraku once more, grabbing him by the front of the baboon skin before he had a chance to move. Naruto slowly brought his fist back and then delivered a bone crushing punch that sent the demon flying. His form shimmered and all that was left was a wooden poppet, which shattered immediately.

Everyone stared in shock as Naruto just stared off into the trees where Naraku's form had vanished, his eyes wide and filled with an insane rage.

Inuyasha blinked slowly. "Okay... who wants to bring the nice, wise cracking kid back? 'Cuz I sure as hell am not going near him right now..."

Joey gulped thickly and took a few steps forward. "Naruto? You okay there, pal? Ya defeated that guy, so you can come back to us now, all right?"

A few seconds passed before the red aura shimmered and then died. Naruto fell to his hands and knees, gasping for breath.

Everyone breathed sighs of relief, seeing this, before the Pharaoh, who had seperated from Yugi, started and looked around. "Wait! Where's Chrissy?! Is she all right?!"

"She's right here," said Tasuki from their left. "And no... she ain't all right." Turning, they saw Tasuki and Kakashi come through the trees, the bandit holding the limp form of the young woman in his arms. Her face weas white and her body was covered in dozens of injuries, her clothes little more than rags, just barely covering her form.

Kagome let out a cry of alarm, along with Hinata and they both rushed forward. "Set her on the ground!"

Tasuki gently lowered her onto the forest floor as Kagome checked her over, Hinata at her side.

She shook her head. "Oh, God... My medical kit's not going to do anything for injuries like these! What we need is a hospital!!!"

Tasuki shook his head. "No... what we need is Mitsukake." He unwrapped some bandaging around his forearm, revealing a kanji glowing a soft red. He touched it gently with his fingers and concentrated.

**There ya go!! Chapter 16 is up!! R&R!!!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Okay, here's chapter seventeen! Please, review!!**

_Chichiri, can ya hear me?_

The monk blinked. "Someone's contacting me!" he said quickly, not sure if he was annoyed or relieved at the distraction. Kurama had tried healing Kirsten with his plants as well, and had no luck, much to his own confusion and frustration.

_Tasuki, we're rather busy right now..._

_We need Mitsukake over here right now!! Chrissy's gonna die if we don't do somethin' soon! She was just attacked by some asshole freakazoid demon named Naraku!_

Chichiri froze hearing this as he looked down at the now unconscious Kirsten. Botan had tried using her healing abilities with no results, and right now Koenma was trying his own luck with his own healing abilities, but to no avail. The woman's face was white and she was covered in injuries... all of them coming from seemingly nowhere. But Chichiri felt he may now have an explanation.

"I think... I know what's going on now," Chichiri said, his features VERY serious.

Kurama looked up. "What is it? What's going on?"

"My friend, Tasuki, just contacted me. Apparently a woman in his group named Chrissy was just attacked and critically injured by a demon named Naraku..."

Sango and Miroku looked up, their eyes going wide. "NARAKU?!"

"...and I think, somehow, Kirsten experienced the same attack. As long as her friend is injured, then she may stay injured as well."

Miroku blinked and then his eyes went wide. "Wait!! Does that mean Tearra may be injured as well?"

Chichiri looked at him. "I'll check."

----------------------------

_Chiriko, can you hear me?_

The child looked up in shock. "Chichiri's communicating with me!"

Tamahome looked up from where he was trying to bring Tearra's bleeding to a stop with no success. "Good!! Tell him to get Mitsukake down here right now! She won't live for long if she's not healed fast!"

_Chichiri, we need you to..._

_Is Tearra suffering from injuries that came from out of nowhere?_

He blinked in shock. _Yes!! How did you know that?!_

_Because the same thing just happened to Kirsten. But Tasuki contacted me and told me that a woman in his group named Chrissy was just attacked and critically injured by a demon! I think her friends both experienced the same injuries as she did! And Mitsukake's power won't work. He tried already on Kirsten and nothing happened. He can't use his power again until tomorrow, and nobody here who has healing abilities was able to help her at all either. Just tell everyone what's going on and we can come up with something after I get someone over to Chrissy! I have a feeling that once she's healed, the other two girls will recover as well._

_...All right, but hurry!! Tearra's not going to last long in her critical state!_

_I will, Chiriko. I'll talk to you in a few minutes!_

_--------------------------------------_

_Yo, Chichiri!! Are ya listenin' to me or not?! We need Mitsukake or Chrissy's gonna die!!_

_Mitsukake can't help. He's tried using his power to save Kirsten already and it didn't work._

_WHAT?! SOMEONE WAS INJURED ON YOUR SIDE?! AN' WHAT TH' HELL DO YA MEAN HIS POWER DIDN'T WORK?!_

_Just what I said. It didn't work. Her injuries are still as critical as they were before. And what's more, is her injuries came from out of nowhere... just moments ago._

_...WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE?!_

_I'm not sure, but I just spoke with Chiriko and a woman in HIS group who is friends with Chrissy also sustained unexplainable injuries. And now SHE is critically injured as well, and their attempts at helping her are also proving in vain._

_Wait, are you sayin' that these girls somehow experienced the same injuries, despite the fact that two of them weren't even attacked? How the hell's that possible?_

_I don't know. But explain it to the others in your group and I'll be there very soon with someone who can help her! Hopefully that will save the other two girls as well._

_I sure as hell hope you're right, monk. We'll be waitin'._

Chichiri turned to them. "Chiriko said that Tearra was critically injured by an unseen force as well only a moments ago. I have a feeling that if we get Chrissy healed, then the other two will heal as well."

Kurama nodded immediately. "Take me. I have plants at my command that can have her healed quickly with no risk to my own power level. If I transform into my demon form, I acn have her back on ehr feet within a half hour."

Chichiri nodded and readied his kasa. "Then let's go."

---------------------------------

Everyone stared at the bandit as he relayed what he had learned.

"You mean Kirsten and Tearra are in the same condition as she is?" the Pharaoh asked, his eyes wide. "How is that possible?"

Tasuki shook his head. "I don't know. But Chichiri thinks that if we get Chrissy healed, then the other two girls'll heal too. An' we can't count on Mitsukake anymore. He tried usin' his power ta heal the girl in his group, an' it didn't work. So I guess 'Chiri's bringin' someone else down."

Hiei's eyes narrowed. "Wait a minute. Do you remember what Naraku said? Something about these girls being more involved than even they know?"

Inuyasha nodded. "Yeah. They must be seriously involved if Naraku sent one of his poppets to try and do away with her himself." Then his eyes widened. "And didn't he also say that he was TOLD to kill her? Who the hell gave him that order?"

Marik blinked. "But... wait a minute. Something's not adding up here. Chrissy was injured several times before, but the other two girls didn't report feeling anything unusual. So why is this happening NOW?"

THAT had everyone stumped.

Kakashi shook his head. "We'll discuss this later. Right now we have to focus on keeping her alive."

Seconds after those words came from his mouth, Chichiri's kasa appeared and the monk came through, Kurama right behind him.

They didn't waste time with greetings. Kurama got right down to the point. "I'm going to transform into my demon form. I have more power in that state, and I can more easily summon plants from the demon realm that could heal her far more quickly."

Everyone nodded as Kurama's body started to glow softly. He grew a couple of inches, his hair turned from red to silver, and fox ears appeared on the top of his head. A silver tail was now visible from his tailbone, and his green eyes turned golden.

Shippo stared in awe. "Wow... a Silver Fox Demon..."

Said demon immediately knelt next to the girl and set to work, his features grim in concentration.

The others stood by in tense silence as the demon summoned several plants and administered them to the young woman who was lying motionless on the ground, and occassionally formed a healing globe of light with his palms to heal some of her broken bones and deep gashes, before returning to the use of his plants.

Chichiri suddenly heard Mitsukake. _It's working, Chichiri! Kirsten's injuries appear to be healing of their own accord!_

The monk breathed a sigh of relief. "Kirsten's condition is improving now as well, no da."

The Pharaoh looked at him. "What about Tearra? Can you find out her condition as well?"

The monk nodded and proceeded to contact Chiriko, who was relieved to report her condition was, indeed, improving.

Kurama looked up at them all a few minutes later. "She is now fully healed. She lost a fair amount of blood, so she will be weak, but perhaps we should awaken her now."

Inuyasha held up a hand. "Hold up on that for a second. I think we should regroup with the others so we can try and figure out what the hell is going on. Some of the others might be able to come up with something, and we should come up with a new plan of action... or at least one that's more improved."

Chichiri nodded. "That would be a good idea, no da."

Joey looked at the monk. "Hey, can you use that teleporting that ya do ta bring everyone else here?"

The monk hesitated and then nodded. "It would require pooling some energy, but I should be able to, no da. Hotohori, Tamahome and Chiriko's chi should be enough to transport their group here, but the only other seishi in my own group is Mitsukake, so I may have to rely on the other monk, Miroku, and his own spiritual power, no da. But I believe it can be done."

Kurama nodded. "Then that's what we'll do. We should do this quickly." He looked up at Chichiri. "Go to the group that would be easiest to transport and bring them here first. ANd then go to the other group and see what energy you can use from there."

Hiei spoke up then. "Koenma and Botan are both in your group, Chichiri. And the both of them have immense amounts of spirit energy inside of them. They should enable you to use your teleportation ability easily, even after the first trip."

Chichiri nodded. "All right! I'll tell everyone what's going on, and we'll do it, no da!"

------------------------------

A half hour later, Chichiri had everyone teleported to Inuyasha's group, and was currently in his chibified state, leaning against a log, looking more than a little tired from his efforts.

The three girls were lying side by side, all of them still unconscious, but fully healed.

Tamahome looked down at them. "So... now what? We wake them up and tell them what's going on?"

The children were all sitting off to the side, along with Kasumi who had been very relieved to be reunited with her little boy. Chiriko stood with the others and looked down at the girls, his young face set in a frown. "I suppose that is what must be done. But they will most likely panic when they learn of what has transpired."

Kaiba snorted. "Could you blame them? One was just almost killed by some nutcase demon, and the other two got injured as a result, despite the fact that they weren't attacked themselves. And nobody has a clue why."

Miroku looked at him. "That's true. Although we now know that they are somehow involved with what's going on in the first place."

The others all looked at him. "How do you figure that?" Yusuke asked.

The monk regarded him. "Because from what I was told, Naraku was commanded to kill her, and Naraku is NOT one to take orders from someone. That must mean that there is a much larger power at work here than our normal adversaries. It seems that the forces of evil have been recruited by an unknown force... and that force wants these girls dead."

Sango nodded. "That does make sense. Whoever this guy is, he must have promised Naraku some kind of power. Maybe even all the shards of the Shikon no Tama if he helped him. But still, we don't know WHY these girls are being targeted."

Chichiri sighed. "Well, let's just wake them up and see what we can figure out, no da. And then we can see if we can come up with some kind of plan of action, no da."

Kurama nodded, kneeling by Chrissy once more, now in his human form once again. He produced a seed from one of his pockets and thorny vine snaked out, gently pricking the girl on the side of her neck.

Chrissy let out a small moan and slowly opened her eyes, blinking in confusion when she saw Kurama hovering over her once again.

"How do you feel?" he asked, gently sitting her up, as the other two girls started to stir themselves.

She shuddered as the memory of what had happened returned. "Okay... I guess... but... what the hell happened? I just remember something grabbing me around my ankle, and then..." She shuddered again. Then she looked down and let out a screech, seeing that she was barely covered by her clothes anymore, her arms flying across her chest.

Tasuki came forward immediately, removing his jacket and handing it to her. "Here. Ya can use this until ya find some other clothes."

She nodded her thanks and quickly slipped it on. Then she blinked, seeing Kirsten and Tearra had been lying down beside her, and were now looking around themselves in confusion. "What's... going on?"

Chichiri knelt down before them. "Girls... we have something strange to tell you, but try to keep calm, no da."

The girls exchanged a few wary and dubious looks before they slowly nodded as one.

So the others went into the account of what had happened... about Naraku's deliberate attack on Chrissy and how the other two girls had sustained the exact same injuries. They were also told about the attempts to heal the other two girls with no success, and how only when Chrissy was healed herself, did the other two girls recover. Then they also went into what Naraku had said about the girls being deeply involved in what was going on, despite their own lack of knowledge.

When they were finished, Tearra looked stunned, Kirsten's face was white as a sheet and her eyes were enormous, and Chrissy looked like a mix between the two.

"Kirsten... and Tearra... got injured when I did?" Chrissy asked in shock.

Kirsten shook her head slowly. "But... how could... I mean... nothing like that... has ever happened to us before..." she started trembling slightly and her eyes went a little glazed.

Tearra started. "Wait a sec! Does this mean that if one of us is killed then all THREE of us will die?!"

The others exchanged a few curious looks hearing that question.

"That's a good question," Koenma said. "Perhaps we should do a small test to see if the effects are the same if each girl is individually injured."

The three girls eyes all went wide. "WHAT?!"

Kurama looked at them. "Only minor injuries. I could have them healed in only a moment. Something such as a cut on the arm." He looked up at Sesshomaru. "You have claws..."

He shook his head immediately. "You don't want me to be the one inflicting the injuries. My claws are poisonous. If they penetrate the skin of a human, that human would be dead in less than a second."

Hiei unsheathed his sword. "I'll do it. I keep my sword clean and very sharp. I'll jsut give them each a small cut on their arm and we'll see what happens." He looked at the girls. "Who's up first?"

Kirsten's face was white once more as she stared at the small demon and his sword. Chrissy looked at him dubiously, as Tearra let out a sigh and got to her feet.

She held out her arm and looked at him. "I'll go first. Just don't make the cut too deep, please. I could really go without an amputation."

He smirked. "I know how to control my sword. You don't need to worry about losing a limb."

She took in a deep breath and nodded.

Hiei made a sweep with his sword and cut about a centimeter into her arm. She winced and bit back a curse, but otherwise appeared fine.

Kurama looked at the other two girls. "Anything?"

They exchanged a look, and both shook their heads as one, showing their arms were still perfectly fine.

The fox demon's brows furrowed slightly as he went over to Tearra and closed the wound.

Hiei cleaned off his sword and looked at Kirsten expectedly. The blonde girl gulped and got to her feet a little shakily as she exposed her arm to him, and closed her eyes, bracing for the cut.

When it came, she jumped a little and bit her lower lip. But once again, the other two girls were not affected.

After she was healed and Hiei had his sword cleaned again, Chrissy slowly got to her feet, and she tried to ignore the sinking sensation she had in her gut as she held up her arm.

The demon made his swipe once more, cutting into the skin of the girl. But this time...

"OW!!" Tearra and Kirsten said as one, their left hands coming up to grip their now bleeding arms.

Chrissy's face went white in that instant and she couldn't help it as she started to tremble. "You mean... it's just ME? If I die... then Tearra and Kirsten will die? But if one of THEM die, me and the other will be FINE?!"

Tearra was in her friends face immediately and gripping the front of Tasuki's jacket. "DON'T YOU DARE GET KILLED!!!!!"

Kirsten's face was just white as a sheet once more as she stared at her best friend. "But how... why... I mean..."

Kurama's face was set in a contemplative frown as he went to Chrissy and healed her cut, which resulted in the other girls injuries to be healed as well.

Chrissy's face was still white and her legs turned to jelly beneath her. Kurama quickly caught her and set her down on the ground. "Oh... God... Does this mean... that those other times weren't just coincidence? Does someone want to kill me because it will kill my friends, too?"

Koenma's expression was very serious as he looked at the girls for long moments, his gaze definitely indicating that he was deep in thought.

Needless to say, the girls were very much freaked by all this. Kirsten just looked as if she was in a trance, her eyes completely glazed over. Chichiri knelt down beside her and put his hands on her shoulders as comfortingly as he could.

Tearra, meanwhile, looked as if she was about to have a complete fit, pure and simple. She was pacing back and forth sporadically, trying to keep her breathing under control with little success.

Chrissy was desperately trying to keep herself calm as the severity of this information sank in. People were deliberately trying to kill her. The reason she had had so much misfortune since coming to this world and her friends HADN'T was because they didn't need to concern themselves with killing Kirsten and Tearra individually. Why waste time and effort when killing one would kill all three?

She shook her head once more, as Kurama knelt at her side. "I don't get it. Why am I different? And why hasn't this happened to us before? How come when I was hurt earlier, nothing happened to them? Why NOW? And who the hell wants us dead?"

Miroku frowned. "THAT is the big question. But whoever it is must have a reason. Considering the fact that he is allying himself with the likes of Naraku and who knows who else, tells us that letting these girls die is not an option."

Koenma looked up, his expression very serious. "I think... I know who these girls are," he said.

**Hehe... I'll leave it there... Cliffhanger!! R&R!!!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Here's Chapter Eighteen!!**

**Last Chapter:**

_**Koenma looked up, his expression very serious. "I think... I know who these girls are," he said.**_

All eyes were on him in that instant.

Koenma sighed. "Has anyone here ever heard of the triple aspect?"

Botan gasped. "You can't mean..."

He nodded. "Yes, Botan." He looked at them all. "It is something common in many cultures. Sometimes the triple aspect is represented by a maiden, mother and crone. Other times, by the phazes of the moon... waning, full, and waxing. In a few cultures, it's through color... white, grey or sometimes red, and black. In China, it is represented by Yin and Yang... and Qilin. They are said to have each played a role in the creation of the universe itself." He shook his head. "I had thought THIS part to be nothing more than a myth, but..." He sighed. "It is said that on extremely rare occassions, the three aspects will take up residence within three selected mortals... who are always women. Women who best represent them. I believe... that is what we are dealing with here... and the mother aspect is what issaid to tie to both the 'maiden' and 'crone', which is why I believe Kirsten and Tearra experienced the pain of Chrissy when she was attacked by Naraku."

The three girls blinked slowly and exchanged several dubious looks.

"Wait a sec... are you saying... that the three of us each have a GODDESS living inside us?" Chrissy asked, her eyes huge.

He nodded. "That is the only explanation that I can come up with... and it DOES make sense. Each aspect is mirrored almost perfectly with your personalities." He looked at Kirsten. "Innocence and purity," He looked at Tearra. "Wisdom and darkness," He looked at Chrissy. "And you... who would be a medium between the two. The reason you are inextricably linked to the two girls is because the Mother gave birth to the maiden, but also eventually grows into the crone. Not all maidens become mothers, and of course, a crone cannot give birth herself, so there is no way to connect the two of them with each other."

Kirsten blinked slowly. "Okay... I'm... confused..."

Tearra looked at her. "I think I get it. Listen. The mother is the one who gives birth to the maiden. And the Mother will eventually grow into the crone. It's the fact that not all maidens will have children, thus becoming mothers themselves, and the fact that the crone simply CAN'T have children of her own, that makes it impossible for her to sustain injuries when we do, but allows US to sustain injuries when SHE gets them."

Chrissy looked at them. "But once again, why the hell hasn't this happened to us BEFORE? I was injured several times before, and Kirsten and Tearra didn't experience anything!"

Koenma shook his head. "It's because I believe the deities were dormant inside you, but they are now slowly starting to awaken. Another aspect of the myth is that they will take up residence inside the mortals when some sort of a disturbance will soon come... and when there is the start of an imballance, they should awaken. Right now, only the connection has been made by you three. Somehow, you have to get the deities to awaken. When the first has awakened, the others should soon follow."

The three girls looked less than impressed. "Terrific..."

Kaiba stepped forward. "Listen, this is all very interesting, but now that we know who these girls are, there's still the matter of keeping up our exploration. Whether any of us like it or not, we'll have to find out who the asshole is that brought us here in the first place."

Joey stared at him. "Are ya suggestin' that we split up AGAIN?! Even after what happened?"

Kaiba nodded. "Yes. But this time, I think we should take more care in deciding who goes with each girl. For instance, this time each group should have a healer. It might be a risk to split everyone up again, but it's the only way to cover more ground more quickly. And the faster we find out exactly who we're dealing with, the better. And it may be the only way we can find a way to get back to our own worlds. I have a corporation to run and I don't intend on staying here any longer than I have to!"

Hiei nodded. "Hn. He's got a point. Considering the severity of the situation, I think it would be best if we split up again."

There was a moment of hesitation, but the others nodded.

Before anything else could be said on that matter, however, Bakura seperated from Ryu, his expression both annoyed and apprehensive. "Hold that thought! My Millennium Ring is picking up on something... and it's approaching quickly!!"

The Pharaoh looked at him. "What is it? Another Millennium Item?"

He shook his head. "I don't think so! There's more than one of them..." His eyse widened. "It's monsters! Duel monsters!"

Yugi's eyes were huge as everyone was immediately on guard. "But... the only way to battle duel monsters is WITH duel monsters! And the only one who has a duel disk and deck right now is Chrissy!!"

Chichiri blinked. "You mean... people can't fight them, no da?"

Yugi shook his head. "That's been tried! And if Dartz is the one who sent them... then we could be in deep trouble!"

Chrissy grabbed her duel disk and threw it on. her eyes huge. "Just fucking great!! We're about to come under attack and I'M the only one who can do anything!!!"

Kaiba looked at her. "It's not a regular duel! Just draw and if you get a monster, no matter what level it is, just summon it! The rules only apply if you're in an official duel!"

She barely had a chance to nod before the first monster burst forth onto the scene.. an ugly monster with large eyes and horns protruding from all parts of its body.

"It's Beatrix!!" Yugi said. "That's a level four monster!"

Chrissy quickly activated her duel disk and drew a card, setting it on the disk in attack mode. "Gearfried the Iron Knight! Attack!!!"

The Beatrix exploded with the attack, but soon several more beasts flew into the fray, some of which they didn't even recognize. Chrissy was trying to summon monsters to keep up, but it was getting harder and harder. Then one of the monsters lunged right at the youngest human present, claws extended.

Kasumi and Kagome were horrified. "SOTA!!!"

The boy let out a terrified cry as it came closer, but then another beast jumped in and destroyed the monster... this new beast a woman with birdlike arms and claws.

Joey blinked. "Harpy Lady?!"

Then a beautiful young woman with long blonde hair raced into the scene. "Need a little help? Watch this!!" She stuck a card in her magic and trap zone. "Go Elegant Egotist! Turn my one Harpy Lady into three!!"

All the duelists blinked in shock and Joey broke out into a huge smile. "MAI!!!"

Mai smiled at them and raced up to Chrissy. "I don't know who you are, but are you ready to do this?"

She nodded. "Right!" They stood back to back and each drew a card.

"Amazoness Chain Master!!"

"Double Coston!!"

They had their monsters attack, but it seemed that every time they took one down, more just came in to take their place.

Chrissy cursed. "There's no end to them!!"

The Pharaoh growled. "If only I had my duel disk and deck!!"

The moment the words were out of his mouth, he felt a tingling on his arm and, looking down, he saw a duel disk and deck.

Kaiba stared. "I think I get it!" He held up his arm, and a duel disk appeared.

Joey, Marik and Bakura all held up their arms and the same thing occurred.

The Pharaoh nodded. "Let's help!" He drew a card and set it on the disk. "Come forth, Dark Magician!!"

Joey drew a card. "Red Eyes Black Dragon!!"

Marik placed a card on the disk. "Humanoid Slime!!"

Bakura played his own card. "DIABOUND!!!"  
Kaiba smirked. "Blue Eyes White Dragon!!"

"ATTACK!!!" they all cried as one.

Everyone took cover as a series of explosions erupted all around. When the dust cleared, the only monsters remaining belonged to the duelists. Everyone waited in tense silence for a long moment before it became evident that the attack was over. Everyone sighed in relief as the summoned monster vanished as well.

Joey looked at Mai immediately. "Mai, what the heck are ya doin' here?" Then he sighed. "Nevermind... let me guess... some weird storm dragged ya to this weird world, right?"

She nodded. "Yup. It went right over my house in New York."

The Pharaoh looked at her. "But how did you survive all these days? You couldn't have battled demons and monsters from this realm with your duel disk..."

She laughed. "Of course not, silly. I would have been toast long ago if I hadn't come across my self proclaimed escorts."

Everyone blinked. "Escorts?"

As they watched, five people came out of the forest. Urameshi's group, as well as Kagome, Sota, Kasumi, and Inuyasha's eyes went huge.

"Toya! Jin! Rinku and Chu!!"

"Grandpa!!"

An old man raced forward and almost bowled the Higarashi family over. "Kagome!! Kasumi and Sota!! Thank goodness you're all safe!!"

A red haired demon with a horn sticking out amongst his hair and pointed ears stepped forward. "Hey there! We thought we sensed you guys over this way!" He pointed back over his shoulder with his thumb. "We were way and hell gone over that way, when we came across that gorgeous lady havin' some trouble with a Bird of Paradise. And this old guy was havin' some problems with a boar monster. We jus' thought we'd lend 'em a hand!"

"They're not the only ones that are here," said a voice, very much familiar to Yugi's group.

They all looked up with a start, while Mai turned, an annoyed expression on her face as a man with silver hair and a golden eye stepped out of the forest.

"PEGASUS!!!" they shouted.

Mai glowered. "You could have helped, you know!!"

He smiled. "But you were doing so well without me, I thought I would only get in your way." He waved. "Hey there, Yugi-boy and Kaiba-boy!!"

Yugi blinked slowly while Kaiba scowled. "Just great. I'm sure we didn't need HIM..."

"Lord Inuyasha!!" a voice cried out, as a VERY tiny form jumped off of Pegasus' shoulder and landed onto the hanryu's.

Kagome smiled. "Miyoga!!"

Joey blinked slowly. "Am I goin' nuts... or did that flea just talk?"

Kagome smiled. "This is Miyoga, the Flea Demon. He's Inuyasha's servant."

Tea blinked. "Now THAT'S weird..."

Hiei looked at them. "Hn. I think we should bring the others up to date on what we've discovered and tell them our plans. And then... we should carry out those plans before too much time has passed. As it is, it's early evening, so it looks like it's going to be one big camp out. I don't think Chichiri can handle transporting everyone back to their original positions after expending his energy like that."

Rinku blinked. "Explain what? What've you guys discovered?"

Yusuke sighed. "Sit down. We'll bring you guys up to date."

So they did, the three girls just sitting quietly and trying not to listen as the newcomers were given an account of what had transpired.

"So now we're going to decide who goes with each girl, no da," Chichiri said. "I think it's safe to say that the one in most need of protection would be Chrissy... judging by the fact that she has almost been killed several times already, no da."

Kurama nodded. "I will go in her group this time. I can act both as a healer and use my fighting abilities to protect her."

Mitsukake looked at them. "Since it appears that the liklihood of her being directly attacked is slim, I shall go with Kirsten's group."

Koenma nodded. "I have my own healing abilities, so I should travel with Tearra this time."

Chichiri nodded. "Each group has a healer to start off. I will go with you, Kurama. I can continue acting as an intermediary between the groups, and so no matter which group Miaka travels in, I should be able to protect both girls, and thus not shirk my duties as a Suzaku Seishi. Also, my abilities would be invaluable, due to my abilities to detect certain rare forms of energy." The fact that there were no 'no da's' in his narrative told them that his decision was non- negotiable.

Miroku looked up. "Kirsten should have a monk in her group as well. There is still a chance that she may be targeted and my wind tunnel can destroy anyone who would make an attempt on her life. Also, in the event that we have to regroup again, my spiritual energy would be very useful in helping Chichiri to teleport."

Sango looked at him. "Like I said before... where you go, I go, monk!"

Kikyo looked up. "I was a priestess in life, and have maintained my spiritual abilities in my undead state. I can shoot sacred arrows, sense jewel fragments, and act as a catalyst for Chichiri, so I will go in Tearra's group."

Botan looked up. "I said I'm not being seperated from Koenma again and I meant it, so I'm in Tearra's group!!"

The Pharaoh stepped forward. "We may experience more attacks from the Dark Duelists... perhaps even by Dartz himself. I will go with Chrissy."

Kaiba smirked. "I have my deck back... and all three of my Blue Eyes White Dragons. I intend to travel with Chrissy this time as well. After all, she did promise me the Blue Eyes White Dragon in her own deck as well, and I intend to get it BEFORE we're all sent back to our own worlds."

Mokuba looked up. "I always go with Seto!!"

Joey grinned. "Kirsten's gonna need a duelist or two in her ranks, so I'm goin' with her!"

Mai smirked. "Then count me in, too! Now that I found you, you're not getting away from me again, Joey." She gave him a wink.

Joey grinned broadly and tried to fight off his blush.

Jin grinned. "Lucky bastard. I've been tryin' ta get with her since I met her. I guess I know who she was talkin' about when she said whe was already involved with someone..."

Pegasus cleared his throat. "Kirsten should have someone with a Millennium Item in her group... just in case. I also created the game of Duel Monsters, and therefore am an accomplished duelist in my own right, so I'll be going with Mr. Wheeler and Ms. Valentine."

Marik nodded. "Then we Ishtars will travel with Tearra this time. My Millennium Rod will provide her protection, and we are also duelists."

Bakura smirked. "I'll stick with Tearra as well."

Naruto stepped forward. "I can draw on the power of the Nine Tailed Fox Demon when I want now, so I should go with Chrissy, too!"

Kakashi smirked. "Not without me, you're not. I still have to keep you out of trouble."

Hinata smiled shyly. "I'll go with Chrissy too."

Gaara shrugged. "I'll stay with Kirsten."

Rock Lee grinned. "Then count me in!"

Kagome spoke up. "I can sense jewel shards and can shoot sacred arrows if any monster or demon with one attacks. Not to mention if the REAL Naraku decides to try something, I'll be able to detect all HIS shards before he gets too close. So I'm in Chrissy's group."

Shippo was on her shoulder immediately.

Inuyasha shrugged. "Guess that means I'm in, too."

Miyoga jumped onto his shoulder.

Tamahome frowned a little. "Kirsten's group will need another powerful person in the event that they are attacked, so I'll go with her."

Miaka was beside him immediately. "Only if I get to go with you!!"

Nuriko shrugged. "Another strong arm never hurts, does it?" He stood beside Miaka and Tamahome.

Sasuke shrugged. "I'll stay with Tearra."

"Me too!" Sakura said immediately.

Hiei stepped forward with his arms crossed. "Hn. I've been with Chrissy from the start and I don't see any reason to change that now."

Yusuke nodded. "The more power in her group, the better, so I'm in."

Jin looked at Chrissy, blinked, and then stepped up to her as well.

Kuwabara snorted. "I think Chrissy's got enough support from Otherworld Fighters, so I'm goin' with Kirsten."

Toya nodded. "Me as well. She should have a full blooded demon in her ranks."

Koga nodded. "Make that two full blooded demons."  
"Then I'll go with Tearra's group," Rinku and Chu said as one, stepping forward.

Tasuki grinned, showing off his fangs. "I'll stick with you, Chichiri."

Chiriko nodded. "I will as well."

Tea smiled. "I think I'd like to be with a group that's less likely to be attacked," she said as she steppd up to Kirsten.

Tristan and Duke quickly followed suit.

Kagome's grandfather nodded. "She makes a good point," he said, looking at Kasumi. "We should travel with Tearra's group."

Kasumi blinked. "But what about Kagome?"

He waved it off. "She's been taking care of herself in the feudal era for years now. I think she can handle herself. Besides, she's traveling with Inuyasha. Do you honestly think he'd let anything happen to her?"

She hesitated, and then nodded. They went to stand beside Tearra.

Sesshomaru nodded. "We will continue traveling with her as well. She will also need a powerful demon with her in the event that she is attacked."

Hotohori stood by Tearra. "My swordsmanship skills will be used to protect Tearra until this is all done."

Chichiri nodded. "Good. That's everyone. I think this should be fine, no da."

Kakashi got to his feet. "Then I guess we should set about settling in for the evening. Would anyone care to help me find food?"

Koga, Sasuke and Rock Lee readily volunteered. The four of them set off into the forest in search of food.

Three fires were started, as everyone started settling in and doing their own thing.

The three girls settled down once more, having one last visit before they were seperated once again.

"NOW... I'm freaked," Kirsten said. "I mean... do you really think it's possible... what Koenma said? I mean... how could each of us have a goddess living inside of us?"

Tearra shook her head. "I don't know, but I can't think of any other explanation than the one that he came up with. I mean... one minute I was fine, and then the next..." She trailed off and let out a small shudder.

Chrissy snorted. "How do you think I feel? I mean... if anything happens to me, you two will experience it. I wonder if that goes for those Dark Duelists guys that go around stealing people's souls? I mean... if I lost my soul, would you guys lose yours?"

Kirsten shuddered hugely at this thought. "I don't know, and I don't WANT to know... and I sure as hell don't want you experementing to find out!!"

Chrissy nodded. "If I can stay out of duels, then I will. But I didn't have much choice about that last one I was involved in. There is a chance that I might be involved in another one whether I like it or not. And another thing that worries me, is that Naruto and them mentioned something about their own enemies... more ninja's who work for some guy named Orichimaru. And then there's the enemy of the Suzaku Seishi... the Seirryu Seishi. And who knows what sort of enemies the people from Hiei's world have?"

Tearra shuddered. "You know, this is almost starting to seem like some kind of freaky war or something like that."

Chrissy started. "You know... you're right. It DOES seem like that, doesn't it? It's like someoen brought us here to recruit us or something. Because didn't Inuyasha and them say that Naraku had been TOLD to kill me? That means that he's working for someone now... Do you think it's possible that the whole reason we were brought here was to FIGHT?"

Kirsten's eyes went huge. "I don't even want to THINK about that!!"

Tearra looked at her. "Look, I don't like to think about it either, but right now it DOES seem very plausible, doesn't it? Think about it. It's like the forces of good are facing off against the forces of evil or something like that. In wars, people are always fighting over something. There's always something at stake. And what really has me freaked is that so far, the only one who has come really close to dying is Chrissy... and when SHE almost died, so did we. Do you think that these goddesses that are living inside us are the whole reason we were brought here? That someone brought us here hoping they'd awaken, while someone ELSE brought those bad guys here to try and kill us so they CAN'T awaken?"

All the girls shuddered at the thought.

"You know, that DOES make a lot of sense," said a voice from behind them. The girls all jumped and turned, seeing Kurama, Hiei, Inuyasha, Sesshomaru, Kaiba, the Pharaoh, Kakashi, Naruto, Chichiri, and Miroku standing there. Kurama had been the one to speak.

"WERE YOU LISTENING IN ON OUR CONVERSATION?!" they asked as one, each trying to get their heart rates under control once more.

Inuyasha smirked. "Well, for us demons, it's hard NOT to hear what you're saying. I know I don't miss much with ears like these."

Miroku nodded. "But I think you girls may have just figured out something that the rest of us missed before. The more I think about it, the more it seems that this is some sort of recruitment for a war of some sort."

Kirsten moaned and pulled her legs close to her chest. "Please don't say that..."

Kakashi knelt beside her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I know it's not something you like to think about, but it is a very likely explanation for why we're here in the first place. And that makes it all the more important that we keep you three safe. Because if this opposing force wants you girls dead, then the deities inside you must be very powerful."

Chrissy and Tearra looked about as impressed as their friend about the whole situation. The thought that the three of them were the reason that everyone had been brought to this strange world did NOT sit well with them. Although they were not the ones directly responsible for bringing everyone ehre, they were the REASON, which was by itself bad enough.

Chrissy frowned then. "Okay, here's a good question. It's obvious that the baddies were already contacted by whoever's recruited them, so how come WE weren't contacted yet by the big gahoona on OUR side?"  
Chichiri shrugged. "Who knows, no da? In our world, Tai-Yi-Jun is one who likes to test those under her watch before showing herself. She tested Miaka before she showed herself to our Priestess, and Miaka almost died in the process, no da. I think it might be something like that, no da. There's no way to tell for sure."

The Pharaoh smiled at them and stepped forward. "I think you girls have had far more than enough excitement for today." He looked at Chrissy. "Would you like to have a few practice duels before the others return with the food?"

Kirsten frowned a little, eyeing the duel disk that was on her friends arm. "That's another thing... how come SHE gets one of those things and me and Tearra don't?" However, the instant the words were out of her mouth, there was a tingling on her arm and she saw a duel disk materialize. "Wow... I stand corrected..."

Tearra blinked. "Hmmm..." She held her arm up and a duel disk appeared attached to her arm. She rose her eyebrows. "Cool..."

Joey came forward, grinning from ear to ear. "Awesome! Now Kirsten and Tearra each have a duel disk and deck!" He looked at Kirsten. "What do ya say? I'll teach ya how ta play the game and we can have a few practice duels of our own!"

Kirsten blinked, and then shrugged. "Sure."

Kaiba looked at Tearra. "Well, since the Pharaoh and Wheeler are each taking on a student, why don't I teach you?"

The girl grinned. "Cool! Count me in! So long as there's no soul-stealing magic cards involved in THESE duels..."

Joey shook his head. "None of us have a Seal of Oricalchos. Those cards are evil, and bring out the darkness of the duelist. We don't ever intend ta use 'em." Then he looked at Kirsten again. "The first thing we gotta do is have a look at yer deck and so you can get an idea of what kinda strategies you can use."

So Joey and Kaiba each sat with Kirsten and Tearra, going through their decks with them and explaining the rules of the game, while Chrissy and the Pharaoh immediately started a practice duel, off to the side using the duel disks. Several people stood off to the side to watch the proceedings as they dueled. Chrissy got beaten by the Pharaoh after a duel that lasted the better part of twenty minutes.

Mai smirked, coming forward. "I have to say, you've got some skill for you to duel like that when it's only your second time. You've definitely got a knack for this game."

Kaiba and Joey were finishing their tutorials and the girls were ready to have duels of their own. They each did fairly well for their first times, but ultimately got defeated in the end by their teachers.

The moment Kirsten lost her duel against Joey, the others returned with a huge amount of food... deer, boars, birds and fish, which were quickly cleaned, gutted and prepared. The meal was eaten in relative silence and was then cleaned up by a few volunteers. Chrissy then took the time to ask Miaka if she happened to have any extra clothes in that huge backpack of hers, and was greatly relieved whtn the girl produced a shirt and pair of pants. Chrissy quickly went into the forest and out of sight, Sango at her side, and she quickly changed, handing Tasuki his jacket back.

Then they all decided it would be best to turn in, several people keeping watch... Hiei, since he didn't need sleep, Gaara since he didn't DARE sleep, and both the Pharaoh and Bakura in their spirit forms.

**And there's Chapter Eighteen everyone!! Please R&R!! I wanna know what you think!!**


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